


What You Sow

by EllanaSan



Series: Katniss, The Vampire Slayer [8]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, F/M, Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Season 1 ends here, anyway XD, canonical violence, hunger games warning applies, it's the end of the season folks, might have the occasional death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:33:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23155612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllanaSan/pseuds/EllanaSan
Summary: “That would be great.” Cinna nodded gratefully. “I have a lot to tell you.”Katniss frowned suspiciously. “About the Careers?”“About a Reaping.” the man corrected. “And the witch who’s supposed to perform it.”
Relationships: Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Series: Katniss, The Vampire Slayer [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1134281
Comments: 249
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And we start the 8th and last episode of the first season...

Katniss was transfixed by the stranger and, if Peeta hadn’t grabbed her arm and pulled her back, she would have remained there, vulnerable. He could have pulled out a stake and stab her straight to the heart with it and she still wouldn’t have moved.

“Cancel that compulsion spell, _right_ _now_.” Effie’s voice thundered behind her.

She turned in time to see the witch barreling down the stairs, Haymitch slower behind her but armed with a hunting knife. Prim and Madge were hugging each other at the top of the stairs.

Effie was _a sight_. She was wearing the frayed washed-out blue shirt Haymitch used for sleeping sometimes and not much else. Her hair was curling all around her head in a wild disheveled mane, her face was hard, _focused,_ and the fireball in her hand seemed to burn brighter than usual.

For the second time that week and despite what the woman herself had to say about it, Katniss thought she would have made a good Slayer.

The stranger’s eyes stopped on her with some amusement before moving behind them to the Watcher only wearing hastily pulled on sweatpants.

How impressive their little team must have looked, Katniss mused, with half of them half-dressed and dazed… She was calm despite the imminent danger, despite the fact that her sister was right there in the open, despite Peeta’s fingers digging hard in her upper arm to prevent her from going right back to the man…

“Haymitch.” the stranger said with a nod and a small smile.

“I won’t say it again.” Effie growled.

“Calm down.” Haymitch ordered, reaching for her shoulder.

He had relaxed, Katniss noticed. But maybe he was under a spell too. Like her. She was _certain_ she was under a spell. She might not have any particular talent to _sense_ magic, not the way Haymitch and Peeta seemed to be able to, but she knew herself well enough to know she should have been panicking right about now. And kicking asses.

“Remove that spell, now.” Effie repeated, moving her free hand in the air. She murmured something in a weird language with harsh consonants and a shimmering blue wall flickered to life in front of her.

A shield of some sort.

The man was now examining her. “I suppose the protection wards on the Village are your work, then? Impressive.” He took off his sunglasses and slid them in the pocket of his leather jacket, revealing dark eyes that seemed somehow… _Wrong_. Too deep. Too… She wondered if that was why he used golden eyeliner, to distract people from how wrong his eyes looked. “I apologize for barging in but time is of the essence.”

“Yeah.” Haymitch scoffed, squeezing Effie’s shoulder and walking past her despite the witch’s barked demands for him to come back behind the shield. “Time’s been of the essence for _fucking_ weeks. I’ve left _hundred_ of messages. Where have you been?”

“Do you know him?” Peeta asked, uncertain. “Tell him to let Katniss go. He’s got her under a compelling charm.”

The man didn’t wave his hand or utter a word or do anything that Effie did when she casted or cancelled a spell. He barely even _looked_ at her.

But when Katniss took her next breath the calm that had washed over her disappeared and her panic set right back in. “Madge, take Prim back to our room!”

“Everyone, calm down. We’re safe. He’s not a bad guy.” Haymitch grumbled, finally reaching the stranger who had yet to cross the threshold. They stared at each other for a long hard minute and then Haymitch outstretched a hand, a rare genuine smile on his mouth. “Cinna.”

“Haymitch.” the man answered, taking the hand.

And then they were exchanging a manly hug.

“Oh.” Effie said, closing her fist on the fireball to make it disappear. Another weird sentence and the shimmering shield vanished.

“That’s new.” Peeta commented with some anticipation.

“It’s showy but not really reliable.” the witch explained, walking down the last three steps to stand next to them. Her blue eyes assessed the two of them and she pursed her lips. “Haymitch?”

“Yeah.” the Watcher sighed, tugging his friend inside the house and closing the front door. “Everyone, this is Cinna. He’s the warlock who helped Maysilee lock Snow away. I’ve been trying to get in touch for close to a month.”

There was clear reproach in Haymitch’s voice but the stranger didn’t show any particular emotion regarding that. His dark unsettling eyes had stopped on Madge who was still at the top of the stairs, protectively standing in front of Prim – and for that Katniss felt a surge of affection because it was clear the girl was afraid but she was still playing the human shield for her sister.

The warlock’s face softened a little. “You look very much like your aunt. She was a fierce little thing. I loved her a lot. I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.”

He was talking to Madge, there was no mistaking that, but Katniss felt the truth of his words right inside her chest in a way that was anything but natural.

“You’re not human.” she accused, her hands itching to find a weapon.

Peeta was still holding her upper arm and that would be a bother in a fight. She suspected he had forgotten he was doing it so she didn’t tell him off about it just yet.

“He’s a warlock, that means he’s half demon.” the boy whispered. In the silence though, he might as well have shouted.

“Like Ripper?” she asked, directing her question toward Haymitch.

“Not quite.” Her Watcher shook his head. “But I trust him. He’s a friend.”

“And a legend.” Effie blurted out. She was staring at the man with a mix of wariness and unabashed interest.

The man broke into a smile that completely transformed his face. He didn’t look so dark and threatening when he was smiling. “There’s been some exaggerations over the centuries, I promise you, but thank you.”

“ _Centuries_?” Prim repeated, peeking behind Madge’s body.

“Are you one hundred percent sure he’s safe?” Katniss asked Haymitch. “Because he came here and used spells.”

“And it was rude of me.” the warlock apologized, slouching a little. “I’m afraid worry has robbed me of my manners.” He turned to Haymitch, his features becoming hard again. “I haven’t been ignoring you, my friend, I was on a hunt of my own. When I got your messages… I think our problems might be linked.”

“We should…” Effie hesitated. “We would all be more comfortable in the library. I will make tea.”

“That would be great.” Cinna nodded gratefully. “I have a lot to tell you.”

Katniss frowned suspiciously. “About the Careers?”

“About a Reaping.” the man corrected. “And the witch who’s supposed to perform it.”

“Okay.” Haymitch clapped his hands, looking at all of them. “Prim, sweetheart, go back to bed, yeah? Madge, you can come down if you want.”

His grey eyes studied Katniss, taking in the shorts and the loose ill-fitted red tee-shirt, then moved to Peeta and his bare chest, lingered on the boy’s ruffled hair, went back to Katniss… She had the feeling he knew _exactly_ what they had been doing before all this. In the end, he looked at Effie who appeared to be trying _not_ to smile. Mercifully, he didn’t say anything out loud, he simply muttered something about regrouping in the library.

She pretended really hard her face wasn’t burning.

°O°O°O°O°

Peeta followed Effie to the kitchen instead of going to the library with everyone else. If the heated discussion in the hallway was any indication, Prim was complaining about not being allowed to listen in. Katniss and Haymitch weren’t very understanding of her rational arguments though.

“You’re alright?” he asked the witch point blank because she was a bit… She looked _tense_.

“Can you feel his power?” she replied, lowering her voice. She shut the door behind Peeta so they wouldn’t be overheard and then moved to the counter to prepare the tea. “Sit down. Close your eyes. Focus.”

He did as he was told.

It wasn’t the first time she had him performing that particular exercise. The idea was for him to find some state of perfect calm and look down inside himself to locate his own power, to _understand_ it. She had confided she hated doing trances and hardly ever managed but Peeta actually liked it. It wasn’t that hard for him to find a peaceful state within himself.

Instead of looking inside though, he tried to expand his senses, to _feel_ for foreign magic…

The house was bathed in magic – the _whole_ _Village_ was bathed in magic thanks to Effie’s warding spell – and he couldn’t really tell the difference between magic in general and specific magical signatures.

He took his time breathing in and out, anchoring his mind to his body before reopening his eyes. He made a face. “I can’t really feel anything specific.”

He must have been under longer than he had thought because the water was already boiling and Effie was tossing teabags in different mugs.

“It will come.” she reassured him. “You are barely getting a feel of your magic, I should not expect you to be able to sense others’ so soon…”

“You can sense his powers even without going in a trance?” he asked curiously.

She pursed her lips, carefully placed the mugs on a tray to keep her hands busy… “I suppose without meaning it… You _have_ to understand witches are territorial people by nature. I suppose I accidentally claimed the Village for myself .” She sighed. “He is very old and very powerful and it feels like an itch at the back of my throat because he is a threat to my territory.”

“Oh…” Peeta rubbed his eyes, shivering a little. The kitchen was cold. “But you don’t think he’s _really_ a threat though, right? Haymitch looked very cool with him.”

“Haymitch has acquaintances and friendships the Council would not approve of.” she replied, pouring the water in the mugs. “This being said, I was _not_ exaggerating when I said he was a legend. He marked History. He’s been alive at least three hundred years as far as records show.” She reached in the cupboard for the sugar. “He will make a good ally. This could tip the scales in our favor… Do you remember what I told you about warlocks?”

“They don’t _do_ magic, they _are_ magic.” he recalled. “I could feel _that_. When he casted, it was like he _breathed_ magic instead of…” His voice trailed off but she gestured at him to go on so he shrugged. “Instead of bending it to his will like you do.”

“Very good.” she praised. “Now, go put on a shirt before you catch a cold.” He chuckled, not bothering to mask the open affection on his face when he looked at her. It made her laugh too. “Am I mothering you too much, darling? I apologize, you are old enough to know if you are cold or not, I suppose.”

He stood up to grab the tray before she could try to carry it, daring to drop a kiss on her cheek while he was at it. “I like you mothering me. And I’m cold.”

She shook her head at him, her lips stretching into a teasing smile. “You will like me mothering you a lot less when I sit you down to talk about proper protection.”

“Protection?” He frowned, his mind flashing back to the shield she had conjured earlier.

“For sex, Peeta.” she clarified. When he groaned, mortified, she only grinned harder. “If you are old enough to sneak around in the dark with Katniss, you are old enough to hear about condoms and respect.”

“I don’t…” He made a face.

“Of course, you can always hear it all from Haymitch instead.” she hummed.

He didn’t know how to answer that or how to escape that conversation quicker so he winced even harder and retreated toward the door. “You know what? I’m really cold so… I’m just going to…”

“Flee.” she granted, laughing. “But you will not escape that conversation forever.”

Fleeing for his life seemed like a good option though so he did just that.


	2. Chapter 2

Peeta had a wild spooked look on his face when he carried the tray full of mugs in the library and Haymitch wondered if Effie had put the fear of God – or more likely the fear of _him_ – into him. It would be deserved. Hadn’t he said no funny business under his roof? If the kids wanted to get frisky they could at least do him the favor of _not_ getting caught. 

Effie took over distributing mugs while the boy excused himself to go get a shirt. Haymitch could relate, the house was cold. He should have started a fire before going to bed, they were at that time of the year where the old boiler wasn’t enough to keep the temperature in the place warm enough. 

He felt the tingles of magic and then the room was suddenly warmer. Madge uncurled from her seat with an audible sigh of relief. The girl was wearing _flannel_ pajamas and yet she was still chilly, what did it say about _his_ kids that they seemed so used to the cold they didn’t even shiver in shorts and short-sleeved shirts? He vowed to pay better attention to the weather from now on. He didn’t want his kids to be cold. 

In the chair next to her, Effie stiffened a little though. 

He knew why. 

It wasn’t the familiar tickles of her magic he had felt, and getting used to Cinna’s power again was unsettling. The man had an uncanny ability to figure out what you were thinking. 

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” Cinna asked, his question clearly directed at the witch. The girls looked puzzled but Peeta, who was walking back into the room still pulling down his woolen sweater over his head, didn’t. Haymitch wished he hadn’t noticed Katniss’ lingering look at the boy’s chest. 

“Not at all.” Effie lied with a bright smile. 

“I apologize. I am trying to be as… _inconspicuous_ as possible.” the warlock insisted. “I do not mean to encroach on your territory.” 

“It was yours first.” she politely countered. “Besides, I am not powerful enough to _have_ a territory. Not really.”

Cinna watched her for a moment and then lifted an eyebrow. “I disagree.”

“ _Ah_!” Haymitch triumphed, pointing a finger at her. “ _See_?”

Effie pouted and pushed the mug of tea closer to him, clearly dismissing him. “I hate to press but you said time was of the essence, Cinna?”

“Yes.” The warlock’s face darkened into something dangerous. “I got Haymitch’s message about the Reaping and everything else started making sense…” He waved a hand. “I am getting ahead of myself. Do you remember me mentioning Portia?” 

Haymitch winced. “Maybe?”

Fortunately Cinna looked more amused than offended. “I believe you were mentoring a Slayer named Johanna at the time… You called me about a possible Ascension…”

“Oh, yeah.” He nodded, suddenly remembering. Although he thought he could be forgiven for having forgotten about the warlock’s love life given that he had been trying to prevent an apocalypse. “You really liked that girl. She was a witch, yeah?”

“Can you maybe catch up on each other’s love life later?” Katniss scowled. “I want to hear about the Reaping…”

“And you shall.” Cinna countered, smiling at her. But the smile had an edge Haymitch had rarely seen in his friend… “It is all relevant, I promise.” He looked down at his folded hands on the table’s gleaming wood. “Portia… Portia is a _very_ powerful witch.”

“How powerful?” Katniss asked. 

Haymitch could see she was already anticipating troubles and, to be fair, he didn’t think she was wrong. They had been looking for a powerful witch for a while now and there Cinna appeared, talking about his girlfriend…

“A lot more than yours, Slayer.” the warlock deadpanned. “No offense.”

Effie forced a smile but she was visibly tense. Haymitch could glimpse the faint golden halo under the table where she was keeping her right hand, as if she was ready to cast a defensive spell at any moment. 

Haymitch didn’t want to doubt Cinna. He had known him a long time and the cloaking spell on the Village wouldn’t have let him _see_ the place if he had been evil. 

On the other hand, Cinna was powerful enough to break any of Effie’s spells…

“Portia and I have been living in Italy for years.” the warlock continued.

Haymitch caught Katniss’ grey eyes darting to the trunk full of weapons hidden behind a shelf. Peeta’s fingers were drumming on the table. Madge was listening raptly but she also glanced at the door. As for Effie, she had gone rigid. 

“ _Have_ you?” she hummed innocently. “How wonderful.”

“Quite.” Cinna whispered softly. “A few months ago, we started hearing rumors about vampires who were in the market for a powerful witch. We did not take the threat very seriously at first. As I said, Portia is more than able to defend herself and I… Well… It is well known I would kill anyone or anything who tries to hurt her…” Cinna looked at Haymitch. “You can understand that, can’t you?”

“Yeah.” he said slowly. “I can.”

“A vampire got in touch. A very old one. Her name is Enobaria.” Cinna continued. “Scary woman.”

“Yeah, I had the pleasure.” Haymitch snorted. “Not my type at all. _Very_ fangy.”

“Enobaria wanted to hire Portia to conduct a Reaping.” the warlock explained. “She refused. She refused two times. The third time was less of a conversation and more of a fight, the vampire had reinforcement. We felt the threat was real and we decided to act.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” Haymitch cut in. 

“Do you know what the Reaping is?” Cinna challenged. 

“A ceremonial sacrifice.” Effie answered calmly. “We do not have the details of the ritual yet but we should soon.”

Assuming her mother came through with the information. 

“I do not have them either.” Cinna admitted. “But I heard rumors about it. I had no reason to think the Reaping would aim at freeing Snow. I had no reason to call you, Haymitch. I deal with that sort of threats on my territory all the time.”

“If you’re so powerful… Why did they want your girlfriend?” Katniss asked. “Why not take _you_?”

“That’s not really my sort of magic.” the warlock shrugged. “The caster has to be fully human.” 

“What did you do?” Effie asked. 

Cinna’s attention turned to her. “We decided the safest option was to hide her while I hunted the threat and took care of it. She wanted to come with me but I would not risk her. I am hard to kill. Portia is… _human_. Humans are fragile.”

“Well, clearly they found her.” Katniss scoffed. “So I’m guessing the plan went to hell.”

“Katniss.” Effie chided. “Do not be inconsiderate.”

“We hid her on consecrated grounds.” Cinna added. 

“A convent, right?” Haymitch winced. “Chaff found what was left of it.”

“Enobaria led me on a merry chase, lured me away…” The warlock shook his head. “By the time I realized… I knew that vampire had her. It took me a while to track her down and you know crossing bodies of salt waters is tricky for me…”

At the kids’ perplexed looks, Haymitch sighed. “Warlock thing.”

“When I finally got your messages, I put two and two together.” Cinna replied. “So here I am.”

“Better late than never.” Katniss deadpanned. 

“Have you tried a tracking spell?” Effie asked. 

It seemed like a good start so Haymitch leaned back in his chair while they talked shop. At least they had a name for the witch now.

“The tracking spells backfire every time.” Cinna countered. “I found a witch they paid to put an anti-tracking spell over her… She wasn’t very powerful but I cannot break it until I find Portia.”

“Where is she?” Peeta asked. “We could force her to break the spell or…”

“She’s dead.” Cinna cut him off and winced apologetically. “She was uncooperative and I got angry.”

Haymitch rubbed his eyes. “Are you _certain_ Portia’s not working with them?”

Cinna’s dark eyes turned even darker until they were two black tunnels that he couldn’t escape… Something squirmed in his chest, his survival instinct screaming at him to run, to…

“ _Stop_.” Effie growled. “Harm anyone here and I will _exterminate_ you.”

Haymitch blinked, released from the strange spell. Katniss had stood up, Peeta had moved back pulling Madge with him, and Effie… Effie was bathed in gold.

_Fuck,_ but she was hot when she pulled the magical goddess card. 

“It’s alright, sweetheart.” he said quietly, reaching for her hand. Her magic was hot and he had the feeling it would have seared anyone else’s flesh to the bones but it only made his skin tingle like always. It rushed over his body like the familiar kiss of a wave on the shore… It left him groaning but not in pain… “ _Effie_.”

“I mean no harm, witch.” Cinna said slowly, lifting both hands. “My temper… My temper is not the best right now, surely you can understand? They stole what I love most.” 

Effie was breathing hard through her mouth, glaring at the warlock… 

The thing was, Haymitch knew she had absolutely no chance against him in a fight, magical or otherwise. 

“Effie, do you want me to knock him out?” Katniss asked. 

“No.” Haymitch replied, slowly standing up. 

“Effie?” the girl pressed, clearly not trusting his opinion on the subject. 

Haymitch stepped in the witch’s space, standing in front of her, blocking her view of Cinna. He caressed her cheek, keeping his touch light. “Hey. I’m right here. I’m fine. The kids are fine. Nobody’s threatening anyone. Let it go. Get the magic back under control.”

Finally, impossibly slowly, her blue eyes met his. They stared at each other for a long time. It took that long for the glowing light to fade and vanish. 

“Good job, sweetheart.” He smirked. “Now, tell your Slayer to stand down.”

Effie breathed out slowly only to glare at him. “She is _your_ Slayer, not mine.” There was a warning in her voice and he winced, not keen on having that conversation again. He was still sure he wouldn’t survive any of this but he was willing to fight for his life, for all of their lives. “And she never listens anyway…” 

Haymitch snorted. “Damn right.” 

“I don’t trust him.” Katniss declared once Haymitch had backed away from Effie. 

“You don’t trust anyone.” he remarked. 

“I understand.” Cinna cut in. He was the only one still sitting. “All I want is my wife back and I will find her with or without your help. It seems to me our interests are aligned however.”

“We do not know where the witch is or where the Careers are.” Effie said. 

“We know where Enobaria hunts.” Katniss argued. “If you would let me…”

“We have been over this, Katniss…” the witch interrupted. “It is too dangerous for now. With more training…”

“Actually…” Haymitch cut her off, placing a hand on her arm. “With Cinna’s here… We could have a shot. If we can corner Enobaria at the _Cornucopia_ and she’s alone… Between the four of us we should be able to get answers out of her before we dust her…” Peeta cleared his throat and Haymitch snorted again. “Yeah, fine, you can come too.”

Effie’s eyes darted to the grandfather clock on the wall. “Too late for that now. The club will be closed and I do not want to rush in there unprepared.” She licked her lips, scheming… “We will use tomorrow to make sure we are ready and corner her tomorrow night. And in the meantime, you and I…” she jutted her chin at Cinna. “… can try to break that cloaking spell on your wife.” She seemed to realize everyone was staring at her and she blushed. “If you agree, Haymitch, of course.”

It wasn’t like she was really leaving him a choice but it was also the smartest plan so he shrugged. “Seems good.”

“We can also discuss your powers, if it would help.” Cinna offered. “Haymitch mentioned it was a concern of yours in his messages. Although I can see you unlocked your potential since then.”

“It would be… appreciated.” she hesitated. “Alright. Children, to bed. And I expect everyone to stay in their _own_ bed this time.” She tossed a pointed look at Katniss who blushed but also made a face. Her eyes turned to Cinna and she faltered, glancing at Haymitch. “We are short of bedrooms.”

“I can go home…” Peeta suggested. “Cinna can get the couch…”

“Don’t want you alone over there.” Haymitch repeated for the second time that night.

“I will go home too.” Effie offered reluctantly. “It is the easiest solution.”

It was but it didn’t mean Haymitch was any less reluctant to see her go. He had gotten strangely used to sharing a bed with her. It felt weird to be alone at night, now. 

“Come over for breakfast, we can plan more.” he requested. 

Effie snorted. “When is the last time Peeta and I _did not_ come over for meals?”

“True.” he mocked. “You only like me for my cooking.”

She grinned. “ _That_ and other things.” 

There was a collective groan behind them and he rolled his eyes at the kids. It took some shepherding to get them all back to bed but soon enough Effie and Peeta had left, the girls were upstairs and Haymitch offered Cinna a glass of whiskey that the warlock gratefully accepted. 

“Your new Slayer seems like a handful.” Cinna remarked. 

“Yeah.” he sighed with some fondness. “She’s a brat.”

“There is something about her, though.” the warlock remarked. “She shines bright. She will be exceptional. I’m not a betting man but I would bet on her.”

“She’s gonna be one of the best.” he agreed. “If I can keep her alive long enough…” He was distracted from that gloomy thought by Cinna’s smirk. “What?”

“Your witch is interesting too…” his friend teased. 

“Ain’t like that.” he mumbled. 

Cinna chuckled. “You could have fooled me.”

Now if only he could fool himself…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens... The Careers have Portia, Cinna wants her back, Katniss is getting distracted by Peeta's amazing chest, Effie isn't really warming up to Cinna and Haymitch still lives in the land of denial... XD What did you think? Is the plan a solid one? Let's try and capture Enobaria? Let me know your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

Effie tried not to squirm but it was difficult when a warlock was sitting on the other side of the library’s round table, their hands linked on either side of the map spread between them. Their combined magic was working at breaking the cloaking spell on his wife but, so far, they hadn’t had much luck.

“I apologize for making you uncomfortable.” he stated.

Effie’s gaze darted from the map up to his face. His eyes were still closed – and that was a relief because she would _never_ get used to the darkness that was swarming in them – and she didn’t see how he could know her attention had wandered. Haymitch had told her in the few minutes of privacy they had stolen after breakfast that Cinna had an uncanny ability to read one’s feelings. She wasn’t certain if that meant he was a full on empath or if it was simply another form of his magic.

“I am fine.” she lied.

She couldn’t ignore his magic.

She had tried to shove the feeling aside, tried to tell herself the perceived threat was just in her head but… The guts response was instinctive: his magic was old and powerful and it trespassed on what she perceived as hers. And not just the place, but the people too.

She was hyper-aware that Peeta and Madge were checking books in the living-room in hopes of finding a mention of the Reaping, she could have pinpointed exactly where Prim was upstairs doing her homework, and she knew without having to check that Haymitch and Katniss were sparring down in the basement.

And she knew all that _without_ any of them having to tell her because her magic had apparently decided that it was capital information.

“I am trying to keep a lid on my powers, you know.” he insisted, opening his eyes.

She swallowed and averted hers, unwilling to be caught in one of those compelling spells he seemed to exude. It wasn’t unlike a vampire thrall, she mused, she wasn’t even sure he knew he was doing it.

“I understand. Really.” she hummed politely. “I assure you it is fine.”

He studied her. She felt the weight of his gaze on her face and had to remind herself yet again that Haymitch would never have let him in, would never have left her alone with him, if he hadn’t trusted him completely.

“It is your first time claiming a territory.” he remarked.

“I did not…” she started protesting and then closed her mouth because what was the point of denying the obvious? She hadn’t meant to but she had, hadn’t she? She had claimed the Village. “I was never a powerful witch. At least, I was not _before_. I never had enough power to claim anything and I did not have the inclination for it.”

Cinna didn’t answer immediately, he kept on watching her.

She had the itchy sensation he was analyzing her feelings.

“It scares you.” he whispered. She kept silent, staring at a random point on the map instead. “It is not a bad thing to be scared. It means you are cautious and unlikely to let the power get to your head.”

“I much preferred it when I was still simply dabbling.” she confessed after a moment of hesitation. “I am used to hunting dark things. I do not want to become one of them.”

Their fingers were still entwined and he squeezed hers gently.

“You will not.” he said and it sounded like a promise to her ears. “Your magic is untainted. Keep to the lighter path and you will be fine.”

“It is not that easy, though, is it?” she challenged.

Even then, as they struggled to work their spell, she could feel the sirens of the Hellmouth calling, tempting her with more power, an easy fix to her problem…

He shrugged. “Nothing worth it ever is.”

She sighed, looked at the map where a dot of light should have appeared by then, and untangled her hands from his. “Whatever cloaking spell that witch used, it was powerful.”

And yet it was still peculiar that _they_ couldn’t break it. Cinna alone should have been able to do it.

“They might have asked a second witch to perform another.” he suggested, rubbing his face.

The gesture was so human that Effie felt herself relax. And then she remembered she was sitting in a room with one of the most powerful warlocks currently in existence and she tensed again.

“To the risk of angering you again… Are you certain your wife is not hiding herself?” she hesitated. His glare fell on her but she swallowed, refusing to be intimidated. “They might have coerced her into cooperating.”

His fury was a palpable thing that she could taste on her tongue because it was magic. Acrid, old and heavy.

It abated a little at that last suggestion though.

He tilted his head to the side as if he hadn’t yet considered that.

“She would not.” he ventured after a while. “Should it cost her her own life. She is powerful but she is not a bad person and she is definitely not a black art practitioner.” He said it sadly but with resolve. “She would not help them.”

“What if they turned her?” Haymitch asked from the threshold.

Neither she nor Cinna startled.

Effie because her magic had told her Slayer and Watcher had come back upstairs and Cinna because… Well, she supposed for the same reason.

The whole thing was unnerving.

Yet she still felt better now that she had an ally in the room.

“If they turned her, I will get her soul back into her body.” Cinna declared quietly. “It has been done before.”

“A curse?” Effie asked, curious.

“It does not have to be.” the warlock dismissed. “But we will cross that bridge if we come to it. We won’t find her with tracking spells. Perhaps if…”

He cut himself mid-sentence, his head darting up and to the right, toward the street.

Effie and Haymitch shared a puzzle look but then she _felt_ it too.

Another witch. Dark magic. Very dark. Slippery and thick and poisonous.

“Effie?” Haymitch asked, calm but alert.

His hand had drifted toward his knife.

“Someone’s coming.” Cinna said before she could. “Danger.”

“Nothing evil is supposed to be able to get into the Village…” Haymitch countered, more annoyed that the wards had failed than surprised.

“She is not dangerous.” Effie retorted, pressing her palms flat against the wood of the table. She used that as leverage to haul herself up because her legs felt like jelly. “At least, I do not think she means any harm to us. The spell wouldn’t have let her in otherwise.”

Haymitch frowned, following her as she walked out of the library and toward the front door. “How can you tell?”

“Because I know who it is.” she snapped.

She didn’t mean to be curt but between Cinna’s magic and the black one coming close to the doorstep… She could feel her fingers starting to glow gold and she felt behind her for Haymitch’s hand. She clung to it, tried to anchor her magic back into herself.

There were no threats, not yet, and she needed to keep in control.

Haymitch seemed to understand because he entwined their fingers and held hard.

She took a deep breath, focused on his touch because it always seemed to help. Her magic was swelling inside, bubbling…

“Channel it.” Cinna’s gentle tone advised behind them. “It is better than trying to suppress it like you do. Channel it into a spell. Any spell.”

Her first thought was the good luck spell because that was what she had done the last time – and Haymitch had enjoyed a couple of _good_ days because of that – but the looming dread of them being under threat was too pressing and, in the end, she murmured a quick protection charm.

There were several surprised gasps coming from all over the house. Haymitch didn’t gasp or flinch, he barely rolled his shoulders as if to shed off the surplus of magic.

“Warm and tingly.” he teased, low enough that it wouldn’t carry to Cinna.

It brought a smile to her lips and she let go of his hand, a little more centered. She was reaching the front door when she heard the hurried footsteps from the various teenagers regrouping toward the hallway.

She didn’t pay them any attention.

She opened the door.

And there the dark witch stood, with pursed lips, hair dyed a vivid crimson red, a cold glint in her blue eyes, looking barely older than Effie did.

“Mother.” she greeted.

Behind her, everyone had gone deadly silent.

In front of her, Elindra Trinket looked irritated.

Then again, she always looked irritated when confronted with her youngest daughter.

“Will you leave me outside in the cold or will you ask your poor mother in?” the witch retorted.

Somehow, that sounded like a trick question. Still, she stepped aside and let her pass, noting the big leather bag slung over her mother’s shoulder. Not quite fashionable enough, she mused.

Haymitch was standing in the witch’s way and didn’t show any sign of moving any time soon. All the children were gawking at Elindra with various expressions on their faces ranging from curiosity (Prim) to open dislike (Katniss).

Effie’s mother seized Haymitch up with one quick look and then snorted. “So, this is the fabled watcher who has you so weak in the knees?” Her crimson painted lips twisted. “You _do_ love them boorish, do you not?”

And just like that Haymitch was dismissed, not even deemed a threat. Her mother’s attention had moved on to the crowd of teenagers and Effie closed the front door behind her with a sigh when Elindra’s gaze stopped dead on Katniss.

“I have seen quite a few Slayers in my time, girl.” the witch declared flippantly. “Perhaps you will live a little longer than most.” Her blue eyes skimmed over Prim and Madge and settled on Peeta. A spark of interest shone in there. “Now, now…”

“ _Mine_.” Effie growled before she could say anything else. “My apprentice. Do not even _think_ about it.”

Elindra frowned and glanced at her in surprise. “An apprentice? _You_? You are _barely_ a witch.” She scoffed and turned to Peeta again. “I could make you great, boy. Teach you more than you can dream of…”

“You heard her, he’s already adopted.” Haymitch cut in, quickly stepping in front of the children.

It wouldn’t stop Elindra from reaching them if she really wanted to but Effie didn’t think saying so aloud would help reduce the tension.

At long last, her mother turned to acknowledge the elephant in the room – or, she supposed, the _warlock_.

Effie had the distinct impression she had been ignoring him deliberately so far.

“Cinna.” Elindra said in a polite but slightly flat tone.

“Elindra.” the warlock nodded back, slightly amused.

“You know each other?” Effie asked, frowning.

“Do not pry, it is rude.” her mother huffed. “We have both been around a long time and we are both powerful, it is only natural to seek out and assess the competition, is it not?” She dismissed that with a wave of her hand before anyone could answer. “Now, Euphemia, be a dear and get me a cup of tea, I am _parched_. The flight was _awful_.”

Elindra eased past Cinna and toward the library without needing directions. Effie hurried after her, Haymitch and the children on her heels. She barely noticed Prim sighing that she would get the tea.

“Mother…” Effie hissed, trying to fight that awful sensation of surreal when she saw Elindra sit down at what was usually _her_ spot around the round table. Her mother gave a cursory glance at the map and the ingredients for the tracking spell but it didn’t seem to grasp her interest. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” Elindra repeated in a huff, as if her daughter was being entirely ridiculous by asking. “Why, you _begged_ me to come.” 

Effie ignored Katniss’ suspicious look and Haymitch’s guarded one.

“I certainly did _not_.” she retorted. “ _Stop looking at him_. He is not yours to take.”

Her mother _didn’t_ startle but her gaze _did_ dart back to her and Effie had to resist the urge to push Peeta out of the room until she could get Elindra out of the house.

“He has raw talent.” Elindra insisted.

“He already has a teacher.” Cinna said quietly, gracefully flopping down on a chair as if entirely unconcerned.

It _had_ to be an act because Effie was barely keeping her head above water. Two powerful magical beings in her house were two too many – not that it was technically _her_ house but…

“A teacher who won’t be able to unlock his full potential.” her mother argued, giving her _the_ disappointed look Effie hated. “The cloaking spell you have on the Village is impressive enough, darling, but it does not make you a true witch.”

“Yeah, it _fucking_ well does.” Haymitch spat, taking a step forward as if to physically shield her.

Effie appreciated it but…

“ _Wow_ , your mother is _bitchy_.” Katniss let out a long whistling sound. “Haymitch, what’s our policy about dark witches?”

“Your policy should be _not_ to anger them, particularly when they have come to help.” Elindra replied, narrowing her eyes at the girl. “You are a very rude little thing, aren’t you? Then again, the likes of you always are. _Slayers_.” She hissed the word like a curse. “Now, Euphemia, had I known this would be the welcome I would get…” Prim wandered back in the library with a tray full of piled cups and a steaming teapot and Elindra relaxed a little. “Ah, at least one of you has some sense of hospitality. Manners _are_ everything, you know. Thank you, dear. Aren’t _you_ a pretty thing…”

Effie didn’t like it when her mother took that purring tone. It usually meant something cute was going to get sacrificed.

“Prim, darling, go back upstairs and finish your homework.” she demanded.

“But…” the girl started arguing.

“ _Prim_.” Haymitch snapped, clearly on edge too. “Do as you’re told. Madge, go keep an eye on her, yeah?”

She wasn’t oblivious to what he was doing and her mother probably wasn’t either. He had just removed from the room the two people who didn’t have any fighting skills.

“Peeta…” she hesitated.

She wanted him out of her mother’s reach.

“I don’t have any homework.” he deadpanned, a little too smartly in her opinion. “And she doesn’t scare me.”

Elindra poured herself a cup of tea, completely at ease despite the awkwardness in the room. Beside her and Cinna – who accepted a cup with a polite word of thanks – everyone was still standing.

“Mother…” Effie repeated, taking a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”

“You already asked and I already answered.” Elindra snapped. “Now, sit down. It is rude to hover like this over your guest. And tell your oaf and his little warrior girl to do the same.” Her eyes darted to Peeta with amusement. “I would offer you a seat too but it seems I am not allowed to address you as you are not _my_ apprentice. I _do_ wish you would reconsider though.”

“You did not answer at all.” Effie chided, sitting down as she was told and gesturing at the others to do the same. Haymitch didn’t. He stood protectively behind her chair like the idiot he could be. And, of course, Katniss took her cue from him and did the same when Peeta eventually did take a seat. She decided to ignore them for now. “I did not ask you to come. I thought you were busy…”

“I was. I _am_.” Elindra scoffed. “But when my daughter calls me to say she is facing a Reaping and won’t do the sensible thing and jump on a plane, it tends to make my schedule lighter.” She said it in a very annoyed tone that told Effie she was being a huge inconvenience. “Now, you asked for this I believe.”

She opened the leather bag she hadn’t yet put down and pulled out an ancient looking tome with strange peeling golden runes on the cover.

Effie reached for it, eager to read it – because that must be _it_ , the books that contained the details of the Reaping…

Elindra quickly tugged it out of her reach.

“Now, now, Euphemia. _Manners_.” She clucked her tongue, her eyes darting up at Haymitch before settling back down on her daughter. “I meant what I told you on the phone. Attempting to stop a Reaping would be _very_ foolish. You do not have the strength for that sort of magical battle.”

“So what?” Katniss cut in, dubiousness dripping from her every word. “You’re here to help us fight?”

“Goodness no!” Elindra actually laughed. “I am here to convince my daughter to come home with me right now. You can keep the book and go meet your heroic death. _We are_ _going_ _home_.”

She felt her mother’s magic settle around her and she closed her hands into fists, using the sharp pain of her nails digging into her flesh to keep her mind clear.

“Ask. Do not compel.” Cinna intervened, his tone serious. “Everything does not need to be magic, Elindra.”

“Coming from you, that’s rich.” Katniss accused, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Cinna had the good taste to appear sorry.

“We can take the boy with us.” Elindra insisted, a touch of yearning in her voice. “I will even ship the two of you back to England to await the next Slayer, if that is what you wish, but, Euphemia, hear me, if you go against this witch, if you try to prevent this Reaping, you will lose. You will _die_.”

A long silence followed that statement.

Effie licked her lips, still feeling the sting of her mother’s compelling charm but also strangely… _touched_ by the sentiment behind it.

Haymitch’s hands fell on her shoulders. “Maybe…”

“No.” she cut him off before he could say something stupid. “We discussed this already. At lengths.”

He sighed but didn’t insist. “Yeah.”

She briefly touched one of his hands but then reached for the book again. “I am not leaving, Mother. Give me the book.”

Elindra studied her for a long time and then, probably realizing Effie would not, in fact, be convinced or compelled, shook her head with a sigh. Instead of giving her the book though, she slid it to Cinna.

“The book is made of black magic and I know you do not have the stomach for it. Do _not_ touch it.” Elindra advised, standing up. Her eyes darted toward Peeta. “Do not try either, you are too young and too new to magic yet, it would destroy you.” For a moment, the blank expression she always wore on her face cracked, and she looked almost sad. “Be a clever boy, run away from this. You _do_ have potential.” She turned to Cinna next. “You will look after my daughter, warlock.”

It was not a question, more like a command. 

“Of course.” Cinna granted easily, his hand already flat on the cover of the book. “As a favor to an old rival.”

Elindra nodded in acknowledgement – probably at the _favor_ word, never a free one with demons or warlocks alike – and then finally she approached Effie’s chair.

Her hand hesitated in the air but then she did something she had hardly ever done before, she brushed the back of it against Effie’s cheek in the softest caress. “I know you are headstrong but, hear me, Euphemia: _reconsider_. You are not a Slayer, you are not a full witch… I raised you to be smarter than this.”

Before she could say anything she was gone in a puff of blue smoke.

Everyone remained still for a long moment, shocked maybe.

“If she could do _that,_ why didn’t she directly teleport inside the house?” Peeta asked eventually.

“The wards on the Village prevent it.” Cinna answered. “Besides, that sort of spells is always short ranged at best. She cannot have gone that far…”

“She does love her theatrics.” Effie sighed.

“Wondered where you got that from.” Haymitch mocked.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t actually dispute the fact…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... A surprise visit from Elindra, a mysterious dark book, Effie and Cinna's failing to locate Portia... What can go wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

Katniss couldn’t stop fidgeting.

The tension in the library after Effie’s mother had disappeared in a puff of smoke had only increased with each passing minute. It had been three hours and she was ready to go kill something, _anything._ She was almost impatient for the stakeout at the Cornucopia scheduled for that night. She wasn’t entirely confident she could take Enobaria but even a desperate fight would be better than _this._

Effie was frustrated and angry at not being allowed to touch the mysterious spellbook, she also clearly disliked having the warlock around. The witch was pacing the length of the room and when she was _not_ pacing, she was berating one of them for slouching or something. Haymitch was clearly craving a drink and Effie’s antics weren’t helping his mood. The two Watchers were staring at Cinna so hard, Katniss didn’t know how he was making any progress at all. The book was written in strange runes that had made him groan and had made Haymitch rush to the shelves to find references.

All in all, Katniss deeply regretted not going with Peeta when he had announced he was going to drive Madge back to her house…

Although she wasn’t sure being alone with Peeta right then was a good idea. Could she have stopped herself from reaching out? She hadn’t known his hair was so soft before the previous night and right then… Well… It seemed like such a ridiculous thing to focus on right then but she _really_ wanted to run her fingers through his hair again because it was so soft and… There was the kissing too. The kissing had been… If she had known kissing could be so…

Something bounced off her forehead and onto the table.

She stared at the ball of paper, confused.

“Impressive Slayer reflexes.” Haymitch deadpanned. “The Careers are gonna shake in their boots.”

She scowled in answer. “ _Fuck_ off.”

“Language.” Effie cut in, clucking her tongue in disapproval.

Katniss rolled her eyes.

“He started it.” she grumbled, aware she sounded like a two year-old child but unable to stop herself.

Effie gave her _a look._ Even Cinna glanced at her with amusement.

Haymitch snorted. “Seems to me like _the boy_ started it. Made you all dreamy like.”

“ _Fuck off!”_ she repeated, blushing hard.

She was certain of one thing: she didn’t want to discuss _Peeta_ with Haymitch.

“ _Language._ ” Effie snapped again, pursing her lips at Haymitch. “ _Do_ stop teasing the poor girl.”

That somehow didn’t make it better. She didn’t want to talk about it with Effie either.

She dragged her chair back, not caring at all about the noise that made Effie wince, and bolted to her feet. “I’m going back to the basement to train.”

Haymitch snorted but, before he could say anything, Prim stormed in the library with a rare scowl of her own on her face. It was so unusual to see her sister annoyed that they all stopped to stare. If Prim noticed, she didn’t let on. She placed a paper and a pen on the table in front of Haymitch. “You forgot to sign my permission slip for tomorrow.”

Haymitch looked just as puzzled as Katniss felt. “What’s happening tomorrow?”

Katniss felt bad because she was pretty sure her sister had told them about needing a permission slip for _something_ … Usually it was _her_ job to fake their mother’s signature on school papers but since they had moved in with Haymitch…

“Science field trip, of course!” Effie exclaimed with something manic. Probably because she wasn’t _entirely_ sure and, like her, she remembered Prim talking about it at length and felt bad about forgetting.

“Yeah.” Prim answered flatly, irritation barely contained in her voice.

Haymitch was so taken aback by the sudden hostility, he signed without even reading. “You’re okay, sweetheart?”

“Fine.” she mumbled, snatching back her paper slip and leaving the room without another word.

Aside from Cinna who didn’t know better and kept working, the rest of them looked at each other, puzzled.

“Is it teenage rebellion already?” Haymitch asked, sounding chagrined.

Effie tilted her head to the side, making a face. “We have been rather curt with her lately… We sent her to her room again and again…”

“To protect her!” Katniss protested.

“Yeah…” Haymitch sighed with sudden understanding. “But… when the fear demon was around… She’s got abandonment issues, sweetheart, and Effie’s got a point… We haven’t really been…”

“Perhaps you should go talk to her…” Effie suggested. “Spend some quality time together. We do not need you here for now.”

She knew the witch hadn’t meant it in a bad way but the dismissal rankled anyway. If that was how Prim had felt every time Katniss had ordered her to leave – to _protect her_ , yes, but…

“Call me if you find anything.” she demanded and then left them to it, climbing up the stairs with some trepidation.

She didn’t like the thought of being at odds with her sister. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Prim wasn’t a confrontational person and Katniss… Katniss loved her so much she would have given her the world without any question asked. There had never really been _reasons_ for them to be at odds.

Their bedroom door was closed and she had to refrain the stupid urge to _knock_. It was her room too after all, she wasn’t _knocking_ on her own door.

Prim was sitting at the small desk in the corner, bowed over what clearly looked like science homework.

“Hey.” Katniss said with uncertainty.

“Hey.” her sister replied without looking up.

Katniss pursed her lips, closed the door behind her and went to sit on the bed. “Everything’s okay, little duck?”

Was it how fragile she sounded or the familiar nickname that did the trick? She wasn’t sure but she was grateful that Prim didn’t play the passive aggressive game. Her sister put her pen down with a sigh and turned the chair around to look at her. “I know I don’t have superpowers but you don’t have to keep shutting me out.”

“Look, Prim…” Katniss winced. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I thought it was too dangerous and I didn’t want you to…”

“To get hurt.” Prim finished for her, softening a little. “Yes, I know. But… I _can_ be useful. And Haymitch and Effie would never let me get hurt anyway. I wasn’t really in any danger.”

Effie was the one who had sent her upstairs earlier, Katniss wanted to point out, not _her_.

“Prim…” she hesitated.

“I get it.” Prim cut her off, turning back toward her homework. “It’s fine. I’m just in a bad mood. You can go back downstairs and do your Slayer stuff now. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

It was clearly _not_ fine but she didn’t quite know what to say to make it better.

“I love you.” she offered because it was the ultimate truth.

“I love you too.” her sister muttered, softening even more. “But I have to focus now.”

Dismissed, Katniss left the room, certain that she hadn’t done the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today but next time we will go hunt Enobaria... What could go wrong? WHat did you think? What's up with Prim? Is it teenage rebellion? Is it that she knows the end of the season is near and she fears for her fate? Does she have abandonment issues? Will Haymitch ever leave Katniss alone with the Peeta thing? All the questions. Tell me the answers ;)


	5. Chapter 5

“I don’t like the plan.” Katniss repeated for what must have been the fiftieth time since they had left the house. And the trip from the Village to the Cornucopia was a short one. Barely ten minutes, Peeta mused, parking his truck in an empty spot.

Peeta shot Haymitch a sympathetic look in the rearview mirror. The Watcher was the one who would have to deal with their Slayer sulking all night.

“We all agreed it was the best play…” Peeta hesitated, reaching across the seat for her hand. “I’ll be fine. I’m armed…”

“She’s a master vampire.” she argued in a growl.

“Technically…” Haymitch cut in but wisely fell silent when Katniss shot him a glare. It didn’t last long. After a second, he rolled his eyes. “Someone _has_ to play bait, sweetheart. It can’t be me ‘cause she knows me and it can’t be you ‘cause she’d _sense_ you, so…”

“Effie could have…” Katniss argued and Haymitch dismissed that with a wave of his hand.

“Effie was in the hospital less than a week ago.” he reminded her. “And it’s too risky. She’s powerful. If Enobaria picks up on that…” He shook his head. “Look, I don’t like it much either but the boy’s armed and we’re gonna be all around that club. He’s gonna be safe.”

Katniss scowled and turned her glare to _him_. “Are you _sure_ you’ve got everything?”

Peeta obligingly pulled on the collar of his shirt to show her the crucifix hanging around his neck. “I’ve got a stake and holy water. I’ll just lead her outside, you’ll be right behind me and Cinna and Effie will ambush her from the alley. It’s gonna be _fine_.”

The plan wasn’t one hundred percent safe: Peeta would go in, make a show on the dance floor, lure Enobaria out once he had spotted her… Haymitch and Katniss would keep watch from the upper floor of the club, ready to follow once he would lead the vampire through the back entrance of the club to the alley where the magical duo of their team was waiting, ready to trap and interrogate her.

“She’s got a thrall.” Haymitch reminded him. “Don’t look at her in the eyes if you can help it.”

“When is Effie activating her spell?” Katniss grumbled.

_‘Peeta, can you hear me?’_ the witch’s voice echoed in his head as if on cue. His eyes widened in surprise and he startled a little.

“Wow. That’s weird.” he winced. “Yeah, I can hear you.”

_‘You can answer directly in your head, dear.’_ Effie replied and he winced a little further.

When they had discussed her using that telepathy spell, he had been excited but now… He was a little worried about his privacy.

“Not so fun having her in your head, is it?” Haymitch mocked, patting his shoulder. “Now, remember, she’ll keep the spell active but it costs her energy so only use it for emergency.”

“I just think about her and… _think_ , right?” he asked, suddenly panicking a little because what if Effie could access his every thoughts? What if he started thinking about Katniss and…

_‘Take a deep breath, Peeta, I_ cannot _see your fantas_ _ies about our Slayer unless you project them to me and I would rather_ not _know more than I should so, please, keep collected.’_

He had the distinct impression Effie was laughing at him.

“You’ve got the smallest doubt, you retreat, boy, you’ve got it?” Haymitch asked, more seriously. “Instinct’s a powerful thing. You always listen to your guts. If anything feels off, you come back to Katniss and me _immediately_.”

“Okay.” He nodded, taking a deep breath and opening the door. He wasn’t sure how Katniss managed to get out of the car and around to his side so quickly but he hadn’t taken more than a step before she was _right there_ , very much in his space. “ _W_ _ow_. Hello…”

She didn’t answer his grin or his playful tone. She looked worried. Too worried.

“Please, be careful.” she requested.

He glanced at Haymitch – who was making a show of searching for something in his pockets so he wasn’t looking at them – and stole a quick peck. Just because he wanted to. And _he was allowed now_. He still couldn’t believe that he had finally… There was _no way_ he was getting killed. Not now that Katniss seemed sure she wanted this, _them_. “It’s going to be fine.”

_‘We’re in position’_ Effie told him.

He winced again. He loved the witch to death, she was his mentor and, for the better part of the last couple of months, she had been the mother he had never known he wanted, but he didn’t like having her voice in his head when he was kissing his girlfriend. _Was_ Katniss his girlfriend? They hadn’t found time to talk about what had happened the previous night or what it meant or…

_‘Darling, from what I have seen, she is_ definitely _your girlfriend.’_ Effie’s teasing voice bloomed in his mind again. ‘ _Now if you could stop directing that kind of thoughts at me…’_

He groaned _. ‘Well, this spell is harder to control than it looked on paper.’_

“What’s wrong?” Katniss asked, frowning.

_‘To be sure.’_ Effie mocked. _‘Calm your mind the way I taught you too. Locate the magic. Isolate it. Only tug on it when you need it.’_

“Nothing.” he muttered, pointing at his head. “Just…” He didn’t really want to admit that Effie had a front row to his inner panicky thoughts about her so he cleared his throat. “They’re in position. Maybe we should go?”

“Yeah.” Haymitch snorted. “If you’re done smooching my Slayer, lover boy.”

Katniss made a face at her Watcher and then rolled her eyes for Peeta’s sake.

It brought a smile on his lips.

“Alright. Here goes nothing.” he declared, taking a deep breath. “Please, don’t let me get bitten.”

He regretted the joke the moment he made it because Katniss grew all serious again and even Haymitch looked a little too serious.

“I’ve got your back, kid.” the Watcher promised. “Nothing’s happening to you on my watch.”

Peeta nodded at that and then, with a last longing look for Katniss, headed toward the _Cornucopia’s_ entrance, leaving them to follow him a little later.

He had never felt as alone as in that moment.

_‘You are not alone_.’ Effie helpfully reminded him. _‘And you are still not controlling your end of the spell_.’

Maybe they should have _tried_ it before they left the house so he had had a chance to learn how to deal with it. He passed by the bouncer without any problem, waved and grinned at a few classmates on his way to the bar…

The place was packed for a Sunday night but, then again, it was the only club in the Seam; it was _always_ packed, school night or not. He glanced around as inconspicuously as he could but didn’t see any beautiful dark-haired woman dressed in ancient fabric.

He ordered a coke, took a deep breath and decided to tackle problems one after the other. First thing first, getting the spell under control. The more he projected through it, the more it would cost Effie energy and they needed her at full power.

_‘A wise resolution.’_ his teacher approved.

His lips twitched despite his best intentions because he could tell she was more amused than frustrated. He closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t miss his window with Enobaria because of it, and tried to ignore the loud beat of the music. Getting into a trance in a crowded place was harder than it seemed and he didn’t succeed at really getting a feel of his magic. He did, however, manage to somehow _feel_ Effie’s magic where the spell was woven around his mind.

He isolated himself from the spell, tried to at least, and thought a string of curses that went from mild to completely inappropriate. When Effie didn’t berate him, he opened his eyes again and grinned.

_‘Got it.’_ he told her, purposefully tugging on the spell this time.

_‘Good job, dear.’_ she praised. _‘I am right here if you need me.’_ There was a moment of silence long enough that he believed she had put the spell on standby on her end but then her voice echoed in his mind again. _‘Oh, and I love you too. Be careful.’_

It was more feelings than words and it made him feel warm and safe inside.

That spell was genius, in his opinion. Even Cinna had looked impressed when she had explained.

But, then again, Effie Trinket _was_ a genius. And her mother had the nerves to show up and disparage her and try to tell _him_ he would be better off with…

Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on his surroundings.

He had a mission.

And his mission was to make himself desirable to a century old vampire with an appetite for pretty things…

°O°O°O°O°

Stakeouts had never been Effie’s favorite pastime.

Her pink car wasn’t exactly inconspicuous either, parked as it was, blocking the back alley behind the _Cornucopia_.

“Peeta got the spell under control.” she announced, tapping her fingers against the wheel.

And a good thing too because she could feel the strength of it gnawing at her. She might have more power than ever before but that sort of spells remained taxing and she was still having difficulties controlling herself.

“Why are you nervous?” Cinna asked from the passenger seat next to her. His eyes were riveted to the emergency exit at the back of the club. She had no doubt that, the moment it would open, he would be right there in a flash. She didn’t know if he could teleport, although that wouldn’t have surprised her, but she was pretty certain the distance would be crossed in a matter of seconds.

“Perhaps because I am afraid this will end in a bloodbath.” she replied, a little terse. _Or perhaps because she was trapped in a small car with a very angry warlock who really,_ really _wanted to kill that particular vampire…_

He tossed her a look that was slightly amused. “I will not harm you or yours, witch, even if I get angry.”

“You are already angry.” she pointed out with a sigh. She could feel it. His magic was _bubbling_ with his fury and it didn’t make for a particularly pleasant sensation. Although it had been less oppressive since they had left the house and her perceived territory.

“Beings as old as I am… We are always angry, Effie, that’s the catch.” he shrugged, reporting his attention back on the door.

She kept on drumming on the wheel and the silence grew. She resisted the urge to reach out to Haymitch with the telepathic spell. Peeta would make contact if he spotted Enobaria and he would warn her before approaching the vampire. She didn’t need Haymitch’s reassurances that the boy was fine. He wouldn’t let anything happen to him. And Katniss wouldn’t either.

“I didn’t realize you were Elindra’s daughter.” he said after a long while, an hour at least. His tone was casual, almost distracted, but she was good at reading people and she saw it for the front it was.

“How long have you known her?” she asked, just as casually.

Her eyes were on the door but her attention was all on him.

He didn’t answer at once and, when he did, it was almost hesitant. “A long time.”

“That is not quite an answer.” she remarked.

He inclined his head to grant her the point. There was a displeased pout on his lips. “We are not quite friends, your mother and I. She is…”

He let his sentence trail off.

“She is a black witch.” she sighed. “I am _well_ aware.”

The way he looked at her made her ill-at-ease. There was pity in that look and _regret_. “She is more than that.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He was clearly deliberating but, in the end, he looked away from her and back to the club’s emergency exit. “I have never met a daughter of hers as powerful as you are. But, then again, none of them have ever been connected to the Slayer line… I wonder…”

Her frown deepened even as the weight of his words fell on her shoulders. “What do you mean _a daughter of hers_? Do you know Lyssa? My sister?”

It wasn’t what he meant, that was obvious at the way his face closed. It was also obvious he wouldn’t say more on the subject.

“How long is _a long time_ , Cinna?” she insisted because… He had lived for centuries. A year was nothing to him. _A long time_ …

“The Slayer line… It is ancient and powerful.” he declared, completely ignoring her question.

“I know.” she dismissed. “But I am not a Slayer. I…”

“But you are linked to it all the same.” he interrupted. “I can see it. You’re bound to it, to Katniss, to all those who came before and to all those who will come after… You haven’t been Called but you could have and that’s a powerful thing in itself. ” He shook his head. “There _is_ power there, Effie. Powerful magic. Strength and protection, if you ever need it.”

He was warning her, she realized, warning her against…

_‘Effie?’_ Peeta’s voice echoed in her head. _‘We’ve got a problem…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can the problem be? Is Katniss Peeta's girlfriend? Did you spot the foreshadowing? There is soooo much foreshadowing in there. It's like I knew only one writing twist and used it all in there. Are you scared? You should be. Happy Easter! I hope you have chocolate. Sadly I couldn't get any. Let me know your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

Katniss was on edge and it didn’t do much for Haymitch’s nerves.

They walked in the club a minute after Peeta and he was forced to tug on the back of her jacket so she wouldn’t follow the boy _too close_. If he had let her to her own devices, he was pretty sure her version of a stakeout would have been to sit _right_ next to him. She scowled at him when he pointed at the stairs that led to the upper level of the club.

“I don’t like this.” she said again.

He couldn’t really hear her over the loud music but he could read her lips well enough even in the somehow dark club thanks to the stroboscopic lights. He scowled right back and gave her a small shove toward the stairs since she didn’t seem in a hurry to move.

It was easier to hear and talk upstairs and Haymitch led the way to a table that was near the railing so they would have a good view of the dance floor and the bar.

He ignored the stares they were attracting since Katniss seemed oblivious to them. Either people thought the girl was his daughter and they looked flabbergasted she would accept to be seen at a club with him or they thought he was some kind of pervert who liked dating teenage girls – and thanks to Hawthorne’s meddling, _those rumors_ were still rampant around the school despite the fact that most of the student body seemed to have correctly deduced he was actually _fucking_ the Art teacher instead…

“He’s by the bar.” Katniss uselessly told him, barely stopping herself from pointing at the boy.

“I know.” he grumbled, flopping down on one of the chairs and angling it in a way that wouldn’t make it obvious he was watching the lower level of the club. Katniss didn’t really bother with discretion. Her eyes were riveted on Peeta and only irregularly made a quick sweep of the rest of the place. “Relax, sweetheart… I promise you will get him back in one piece.”

Another scowl but, this time, she squirmed a little and that made him smirk.

Teasing her was always too easy and it was always a lot of fun.

“I can’t see any of the Careers.” she deflected.

“That would be ‘cause they’re not here.” he replied with a shrug, drumming his fingers on the table, wishing he could order a glass of something strong. “It might take a while. It’s gonna give us a chance to talk…”

“About what?” she scoffed, burying her hand in her pocket.

He was one hundred percent certain she was clutching a weapon and he wondered if he would have to stop her from jumping over the railing directly to the lower floor to stake Enobaria if the vampire ever showed up and approached Peeta. You couldn’t always trust Katniss to follow the plan.

“I don’t know… House rules?” he deadpanned. “Or, specifically, how you broke them last night?”

To her credit, she didn’t pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about. She glanced at him and then stared back at Peeta with an irritated pout. “I didn’t go into his room and he didn’t come into mine.”

He snorted. “Oh, come on, girl… He was sleeping in the living-room…”

“So what?” she challenged, sparing him a glare. “I’m not allowed to be in the living-room with him now?”

“Not in the middle of the night when he’s half naked and you’re…” he rambled, managing to stop himself before his brain jumped on conclusions it didn’t want to reach. He took a deep breath, reminded himself that he had been determined to ignore the whole thing when she had woken him up by sneaking around in the middle of the night. “Look… I ain’t any happier than you are to have this conversation but if you’re gonna… _You know_ … We need to get on top of it.”

The look she directed at him was clueless and he suddenly regretted even broaching the subject. It had been spur of the moment, he had _absolutely_ meant to let Effie handle _this_.

“On top of what?” she asked, suddenly defensive.

He swallowed hard and pretended he was searching the shadowy spots around the club with his gaze. “Contraceptive methods.”

She let out a squeaky noise that might have been funny in other circumstances. “I’m not… We’re not… I’m _not_ talking about that with _you_.”

“You don’t wanna talk about that with me, that’s fine.” he agreed with blatant relief. “But you’re talking about it with Effie as soon as we get a moment.”

“But we haven’t done _anything_.” she snapped.

Her face was crimson.

He didn’t relish in embarrassing her but he shot her a look anyway.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, we _kissed_. That’s it, we kissed.”

“And it was all innocent pecks and hands in the air, was it?” he mocked in a knowing tone.

She made a face and purposefully turned more toward the railing. “None of your business.”

“Trust me, as your Watcher _and_ as your guardian, it’s my business.” he retorted.

“I’m not _stupid_.” she hissed. “I wouldn’t…”

“My mother wasn’t stupid either. That didn’t stop her from getting knocked up before she was sixteen.” he cut her off. “Look… He’s a good boy, I know whatever is happening between you is new but… I’ve been young once, believe it or not, and I’ve been in enough life and death situations with my own girl to know things get heated very fast sometimes…” He shut the door on those memories before they could become overwhelming, licked his lips and cleared his throat, hoping he didn’t look as awkward as he felt. “I ain’t telling you _not_ to have fun, sweetheart. I’m just saying, you’ve got to be clever about it.”

It was a long time before she managed to look at him again and, when she did, she glared. “You’re not telling me not to have fun but you don’t want me and Peeta alone in a room.”

He rubbed his face and chose to focus on watching the dancefloor, looking for an ancient vampire. _Fuck_ , but he would rather be getting his ass kicked than having this conversation…

Unfortunately, Enobaria didn’t arrive to save him from it.

“Cause I don’t wanna know what you’re up to.” he grumbled. “You’ve got to do this, do it at Effie’s. I ain’t sure she minds as much as I do.” Katniss snorted, not particularly convinced by that statement, and he had to wince. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“You get it’s unfair, yeah?” she retorted. “You say I’m not allowed to be with Peeta alone upstairs but Effie’s staying the night or you’re going to her place…”

“We’re adults.” he countered. “And it’s our business.”

“Are you dating?” she insisted.

“ _None of your business_.” he snapped.

“Neither is what I do with Peeta.” she hissed, pointing her finger at him in triumph as if she had just made the winning point.

“It’s my business cause you’re my kid and maybe I don’t wanna think about what my kid is up to behind closed doors!” he retorted, raising his voice a little. It attracted looks from other tables and he took a deep breath before looking back at the dancefloor. “We should focus on the mission.”

But Katniss was distracted now.

There was an intensity in her grey eyes that hadn’t been there before. She looked a little torn.

“You’re not my father, Haymitch.” she said quietly. It wasn’t mean or cruel but it hurt anyway.

“I’m your Watcher. Same thing.” he muttered. But it wasn’t supposed to be and they both knew it.

She was staring at him but he refused to look at her. He was watching Peeta who was trying to blend in by dancing with some other kids from school…

“I’ll talk to Effie about getting on the pill.” she eventually relented, still sounding awkward. “But it’s Prim who really needs a dad, not me.”

“Ain’t father material.” he grumbled.

She replied so softly, he almost didn’t hear it over the music. “Yeah, you are.”

He chose to ignore that.

It annoyed him how worked up he could get over the thought of the kids getting it on. He never used to involve himself so much in his other Slayers’ love life. What he didn’t know, he didn’t bother to find out.

He had cared for _every_ of his Slayer deeply but Katniss was the first he looked at like a kid of his own. Was it because of his age? Because she could easily have been his if he had bothered to ever have children? Was it because she reminded him so much of himself? Was it because she was living with him, under his care?

He knew whatever it was, it was a soppy path.

It would hurt that much more when…

He shut down that avenue of thoughts and forced himself to focus on the job at hand.

Still no Enobaria.

They had been there more than an hour now and Peeta was showing signs of impatience. The boy glanced up at them a few times but kept going…

The club was slowly emptying…

Haymitch studied every face he could, every sweaty body that escaped the dancefloor…

“Anything feels weird to you?” he asked after a while.

Katniss glanced at him and narrowed her eyes. “I can’t feel _any_ vampire.”

“Yeah.” he agreed.

He couldn’t spot a single one either and that… Well, that was _weird_. The Cornucopia had always been a good place for vampires to hunt, that there wasn’t even one – and he was pretty sure there hadn’t been any all night – was troubling.

°O°O°O°O°

_‘Effie? We’ve got a problem.’_ Peeta’s voice echoed in her mind.

Effie immediately sat straighter. _‘Is it Enobaria? Is she here?’_

“Is it time?” Cinna asked, sounding almost eager. She didn’t think Enobaria would escape the encounter with the warlock.

_‘No. That’s the problem.’_ Peeta answered.

She was about to ask for more clarifications because it was late but not late enough that the club would close yet when her phone pinged with a new message from Haymitch.

_‘It’s a bust. Meet us out front.’_ the text said.

She showed the screen to Cinna who, if possible, seemed to grow even angrier. His frustration made his magic flare and that, in turn, made the car seem even smaller. It was over in a second. He regained control.

“I apologize.” he offered.

_‘Never mind_.’ Peeta said in her head. _‘Katniss is with me. She says the mission’s off.’_

She waited until she had driven the car to the parking lot in front of the club and she had her sight on the three familiar figures emerging from the club to cancel the telepathic spell.

“What happened?” Cinna asked, getting out of the car before she had even turned the engine off.

Haymitch shook his head. “No vampires. Either they knew we’d be coming or there’s something else going on…”

Katniss was sticking very close to Peeta’s side but she still looked nervous. “I want to go home now. Prim’s alone.”

“They cannot get inside the Village.” Effie reminded her in a calming tone.

“Doesn’t matter.” Haymitch replied. “I want to check on the girl too. I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

Effie could feel Cinna’s impatience and frustration from where she stood. His magic was… His control was impressive but he was so powerful that it was no wonder every time his control slipped it felt like a thunderstorm, even if it only lasted a second.

“I want to try and find Portia.” the warlock growled.

“ _How_?” Haymitch challenged. “This was our best lead.” He didn’t look happy either. “Look, I’m sorry but it seems to me like the easiest way to get your girlfriend back is to figure out this Reaping thing.”

Cinna wasn’t pleased but he gave him a reluctant nod. “I’ll ride with the children. Effie needs a break from me.”

She hurried in offering a polite denial but didn’t outright protest the arrangement.

She didn’t protest when Haymitch slid in the passenger seat either.

It wasn’t long before she lost the rearlights of Peeta’s truck ahead of her on the road. The boy was driving too fast and she clucked her tongue but sped up a little too. The general feeling of foreboding was getting to her. There was something in the air…

“You need to get Katniss to a doctor so she can be on birth control.” Haymitch said after five minutes of silence. It was almost an afterthought. She could tell he was distracted.

“Alright.” she agreed, although she wasn’t sure _when_ she was supposed to do that: between two monsters? Before or after they tackled the Careers?

He remained silent until they were in sight of the metallic gates that closed in the suburb area. 

“I’m pretty sure they’re in the Capitol.” he told her. “That’s Snow’s old haunt, it’s close to the Hellmouth… It makes sense.”

She glanced at him as she turned in their street. Peeta’s truck was in her driveway, the lights were on at Haymitch’s and there were no signs of struggle so she supposed nobody had attacked the house after all. The children and Cinna weren’t in sight so she parked behind the boy but didn’t make a move to get out of the car. Haymitch didn’t either.

“It does.” She had had the same thought. “Why haven’t you told Cinna?”

He sighed. “Cause he’s gonna go in all hell blazing and if I’m right… It’s not only the Careers in there. It’s the Careers and an army of vampires.”

“He is wiser than you make him out to be.” she pointed out. “He might not…”

“He loves her.” he cut her off, slowly turning his head to look at her. “He’d go to hell for her… _Fuck_ , I can’t say I don’t get it… Lose enough people and you’re desperate to keep alive the ones you’ve got left…”

She met his eyes and the intensity in them took her breath away for a second.

_Would you go to hell for me?_

She swallowed the question back before she could embarrass herself. She was pretty sure the answer was _probably not_ anyway. “If the witch is really being kept there against her will…”

“I know.” he sighed. “I was thinking maybe you should set the building on fire in the morning but that still leaves us with the rescuing part… It means going _in_ … Four of us against an army… I don’t like our chances.”

_Four_ meant he wasn’t including Peeta.

She couldn’t fault him for that.

“At least it would be on our terms.” she pointed out.

“We could lure them out somehow…” he suggested and then shook his head. “I need a better plan. Don’t tell Cinna. Let me sleep on it. I’ll figure out something by tomorrow.”

“Of course.” she hummed. She trusted him blindly. A little too blindly perhaps. “I think I will head to bed. I won’t be of any use since I cannot touch that book and Cinna’s presence…” She sighed. “I did not realize I had claimed this place as my territory.”

“What?” he teased, placing his hand on her thigh. “You didn’t realize you claimed my _fucking_ house as yours? The rate you’re raiding my kitchen…” He winked at her. “And my bedroom…”

Her lips twitched and she leaned her skull against the headrest, not minding the slow strokes his thumb was leaving on her thigh in the slightest.

“Perhaps I will claim you next.” she warned.

“Kinky.” He snorted. “What’s the ritual for _that_?”

“Pagan.” she deadpanned, making it up on the spot. “A lot of nakedness.”

His smirk widened, his grey eyes twinkled. “Why, sweetheart, you know me…Always _up_ for naked magic.”

She couldn’t keep a straight face anymore and she gave up, shaking her head as she chuckled. He was still smirking when he grabbed her chin and tilted it up toward him so he could kiss her. It wasn’t a deep kiss but it made something _coil_ in her belly all the same.

“Night, sweetheart.” he whispered against her lips.

“Goodnight.” She grinned. “Send Peeta back home, will you?”

“Will do.” He nodded and got out of her car.

She waited and watched him cross the street to his house in the rearview mirror. It was only when he was safely inside that she made the short trek to her own front door.

°O°O°O°O°

_The sky was a sick red and orange color like the sun had burst and left a festered wound behind ._

_Katniss didn’t know where she was._

_She remembered coming back from the club. She remembered checking on Prim who had already been in bed fast asleep. She remembered slipping in that same bed next to her sister because Haymitch had insisted they all needed rest._

_She remembered…_

_But it was all blurry._

_Like something you could see from behind a window on a rainy day._

_The sky was a sick red and orange color and suddenly she was standing in front of an old dead tree stump and there was a huge hole in the ground._

_No…_

_Not a hole._

_The earth had been dug up in a wild slightly irregular circle but there was some sort of metal glinting deep inside. An ornate thing with runes and weird curved lines, the like of which she had seen in the books in Haymitch’s library._

_A seal._

The _seal._

_Fingers entwined with hers and she glanced to her right. She wasn’t scared, not really. There was nothing scary about the blond girl standing next to her._

_She frowned. “Madge?”_

_But it wasn’t Madge._

_The girl’s blond hair was loose and wavy and she looked like Madge and yet didn’t._

_“Maysilee.” she corrected herself in a breath._

_The other Slayer flashed her a small sad smile._

_“It’s awake.” Maysilee said, nodding at the Hellmouth._

_She thought she could smell its stench from where she was. Rot and decay and… But the seal was closed. The Hellmouth was safe._

_Someone took her other hand and she quickly turned her head to find another girl standing there. She was pretty. Long dark hair twisted in a ponytail, grey eyes that shone with intelligence… The girl was wearing a punk outfit that had long gone out of fashion. She was all leather, that one, leather pants ripped at the thighs and held together with safety pins, leather jacket… She looked fierce and yet she smiled and her smile was kind if a little sad._

Sister _, her instinct whispered,_ Slayer _._

_With the certainty of dreams, and despite the fact she had never seen a picture of her before, she knew this was Mabel. Haymitch’s dead girl._

_“He knows.” Mabel whispered._

_Katniss didn’t need to ask who_ knew _because it all made sense in a twisted way._

Snow _._

_They meant_ Snow _._

_“He’s waiting.” another voice announced and Katniss looked up to see a third girl standing next to the dead tree, on the other side of the Hellmouth._

_She was slightly older than the others. She wasn’t beautiful in the traditional sense but she had such charisma…_

_Like Mabel, Katniss knew who she was without ever having seen a picture._

_Iris._

_Iris Abernathy._

_Haymitch’s mother._

_She was older than the others but she was still so young… Too young to be dead. Too young to have left two children behind._

_“He’s coming.” the three dead Slayers said as one and the words echoed like the rustle of leaves in the winds, it echoed through the mouths of the hundreds of ghosts that were suddenly standing all around them…_

_All Slayers._

_All dead._

_The Hellmouth rumbled…_

_And then Katniss screamed for the pain was unbearable._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... That stakeout was anticlimactic... Who thought Prim was in danger? Who likes that Haymitch is absolutely dumping all the teenage problems on Effie? Who has a plan to take the Capitol? And who thinks that Slayer dream at the end means trouuuuuubles?


	7. Chapter 7

_Her dream was a declination of crimson hues dotted with darkness._

_There were voices in that darkness, warnings, but they were mere murmurs on the wind._

_The dread was very real though, the unwavering certainty that_ bad things _were coming,_ terrible _things, that..._

Effie woke up screaming, drenched in sweat, her lavender nightgown sticking to her skin. She was sitting long before she realized she was awake.

And the boy rushed into her room, machete at the ready, before she could even blink.

“Effie, are you alright?” he asked, finally lowering his weapon when he saw there was no immediate threat.

The soundproofing spell on her bedroom should have prevented him from hearing her nightmares… It was her first thought. Quickly followed by the realization she must have forgotten to close the door properly.

“Yes…” she offered, her voice shakier than she would have wished. “It was just a dream.”

Peeta watched her, apparently not convinced. “You screamed. You sounded…”

She opened her mouth to tell him what she suspected, that the dream was a Slayer dream – or, at least, a washed-out echo of one, the only thing she could get now that she wasn’t a Potential anymore – but she suddenly bent in two instead, on the verge of being sick.

_“Effie!_ ” Peeta panicked.

Her nose was full of the rotting smell of black magic, she felt the shift deep within the Earth, the triumphant throbbing pull of the Hellmouth…

She swallowed back her nausea and swung her legs out of bed, the feeling of dread only increasing even if the waves coming from the Hellmouth were already fading. “We need to get to Haymitch’s. _Now_.”

To his credit, Peeta didn’t hesitate for one second. He was already running before she was properly standing up.

Neither of them bothered with dressing gowns or slippers and the chill of the night was cruel when they burst out into the street. Effie barely felt the bite of the icy wind on her sweaty skin though, she kept her blue eyes on Peeta’s bare back and let him rush ahead into Haymitch’s house. The lights were on and Cinna met them in the hallway, looking slightly ill himself.

“Did you feel that?” the warlock asked, his dark soulless eyes riveted on her.

The strength of his magic hit her like a brick wall and she staggered back for a second but eventually breathed through it and pushed her discomfort to the side.

“Yes.” she confirmed. “Something happened with the Hellmouth. Do you think… The Reaping?”

“No.” Cinna shook his head. “It didn’t open. I would know.”

She nodded in relief and reached for the wall to steady herself. She felt dizzy, like her head was filled with cotton…

“Effie, you don’t look alright.” Peeta remarked in a soft voice, his hand cradling her elbow as if to prevent an eventual fall.

He didn’t look well either. Mostly because they had run outside without bothering to cover themselves and he was only wearing pajama pants. She wanted to tell him to go put on a shirt before he caught a cold but there were priorities and, right then, catching a cold wasn’t her main concern.

“Is Haymitch still asleep?” she asked.

She had seen lights on the first floor when she had been in the street.

“Katniss screamed.” Cinna told them. “He must be with…”

“What?” Peeta cut him off. His hand left Effie’s elbow and he was halfway up the stairs by the time the Slayer showed up at the top of them, Haymitch right behind her.

“I’m fine.” the girl grumbled, clearly having heard the last part. “Slayer dream.”

Peeta studied her for a second and then he made a face and rushed ahead so he could wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. “You don’t look fine.” 

Katniss stiffened for a second and then allowed it, leaning into his chest.

Haymitch rolled his eyes but a smirk was tugging at his lips. His grey eyes found Effie. “I told Prim to go back to sleep and now she’s sulking again. You’ve _got_ to have a word with her.”

Have a word with Prim, take Katniss to a doctor to get on the pill… She wondered when she was supposed to find time to do that when they were up to their necks in demon business.

He must have realized something was wrong – worse than Slayer dreams – because his face suddenly grew serious and he passed the kids down the stairs in a hurry to get to her quicker. One of his hands ended up on her waist, the other coiled around her forearm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look like you’re gonna puke.” He made a face. “Please, don’t puke.”

She weakly whacked his chest in protest and licked her lips, trying to compose herself. She didn’t like looking so frail in front of the children. “Slayer dreams and the Hellmouth are a bad combination.”

“The Hellmouth?” he repeated.

“Something happened.” Cinna clarified, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Not the Reaping. It hasn’t opened yet. But whatever it was, it was big and extremely dark. Dark enough that everyone who practices magic must have felt it.”

“I didn’t feel anything.” Peeta winced.

“It might be a preparation ritual before the Reaping.” Effie added, hugging herself because chills were running down her spine. “We are running out of time.”

“I think we _are_ out of time.” Katniss said, swallowing hard. “My dream…”

“Okay, we’re not talking about it standing here.” Haymitch cut her off. “The lot of you go to the library, I’m gonna make some hot chocolate. Looks like the two of you could use it.” His eyes stopped on Peeta. “Go fetch a shirt and socks, kid, it’s not summer.”

He could talk, Effie mused, because he was bare-chested too and _his_ sweatpants were hanging too low for company. And his hair was tousled by sleep and he smelled good and… She leaned against him without really realizing it. Fortunately, everyone else had followed orders. Cinna was gently guiding Katniss toward the library, Peeta had disappeared, presumably to get more clothes.

“Go upstairs and change.” Haymitch instructed her, rubbing her arm. “Take a hot shower. You’re cold.”

She _was_ cold.

Her nightgown was sticking to her skin – and she was fairly sure both Cinna and Peeta _must_ have been able to tell how cold she was just by looking at her breasts but it was a thought she preferred to ignore. And yet she was also certain it wasn’t why she was shivering.

“Whatever is coming, it will be bad.” she professed.

He cupped her cheek, tilted her head up… His gaze was resigned, _knowing_ perhaps, because he had warned her time and time again it was indeed going to get bad. The kiss he pressed to her forehead was short, more comforting than loving.

“Don’t steal my thunder, sweetheart. I like being the pessimistic one.” he deadpanned. “Go upstairs, get warm, and when you come back, make sure the kids don’t see how scared you are ‘cause that won’t help.”

He was right, of course, and she took a deep breath, raised on tiptoes to steal a peck that he responded to a little distractedly, and then hopped up the stairs to borrow some clothes from his wardrobe. She didn’t take a shower because she knew they didn’t have time for that sort of luxury but she did search for the smoothest warmest flannel shirt in his drawer. She borrowed a pair of clean boxers but didn’t bother with pants and topped the outfit with woolen socks that she pulled up to her knees.

She wouldn’t have dared call that look fashionable but she decided it was cute in a just-rolled-out-of-bed way. Feeling cute helped her schooling her features into something a little more cheerful and confident.

When she eventually entered the library, everyone was nursing a mug of hot chocolate and Haymitch handed her one without a word. She took the empty seat next to him. The children were huddled close together on the other side of the table and Cinna was sitting between the four of them, not quite part of the group yet.

“Tell us, Katniss.” Haymitch demanded.

The girl sought her gaze and Effie forced a smile, shaking her head a little. “My Slayer dreams are not clear. I can just tell it was not a good omen.”

The Slayer hesitated a while longer, her grey eyes darting to Haymitch without meeting his and then away.

“I saw three former Slayers.” the girl eventually said. “They warned me the Hellmouth is awake and that Snow knows what’s going on and is waiting.” She shrugged. “Then there were more Slayers… Too many to count and they said…”

“He’s coming.” Effie finished for her in a whisper. She hadn’t known the words before hearing Katniss’ tale but now… Now she did. Now she remembered. She hoped she did a good job at hiding the nervousness but, if Haymitch’s hand discreetly falling on her thigh under the table was any indication, she didn’t.

“Which Slayers?” Haymitch asked, even though it really wasn’t the most pertinent question right then.

There was something in his eyes… A _hunger_ … A doubt…

Katniss made a face and looked down into her mug, staring at the hot chocolate as if the answer was swimming in there… “Maysilee, Mabel and your mom.”

“All the Slayers who made an impact on this Hellmouth…” Cinna hummed. “All the Slayers who directly went against Snow…”

It made sense, of course, but it making sense didn’t help Haymitch swallow that.

His face closed, his hand snatched away from Effie’s leg as if the contact suddenly burned him, and she could feel him emotionally retreating from the conversation even though he didn’t move a muscle.

“Alright. So Snow knows they want to bust him out and something happened with the Hellmouth tonight and you’re telling me it’s not the Reaping?” he directed his question at Cinna. “Cause coupled with that Slayer dream…”

“It was something else.” Effie argued. “It was…”

“A dark ritual.” Cinna confirmed when she let her sentence trail off. “Really dark.” The warlock fidgeted on his chair. “I am worried about Portia.”

Haymitch checked the clock on the wall. It was the early hours of morning, barely five. Then, he glanced at her and Effie did her best not to let it show that they had an inkling where the witch might be.

They had an entire conversation in that second and the silent conclusion of that conversation was that they didn’t have any chance of successfully raiding the Capitol, not even during daylight, not if it was under the control of an army of vampires. It was the very same problem Iris Abernathy, Mabel Larson and Maysilee Donner had faced in their time. The Capitol could _not_ be taken.

If Cinna insisted on going, they would have to follow. She didn’t foresee any outcome where they all got out of there still breathing. Cinna might make it out because he was _that_ powerful but Katniss would be a target and she and Haymitch… Well, they were humans. Not a warlock or a Slayer but humans. And they might be better than the average person at this game of fighting the occult but they were still _fragile_ compared to demons and vampires…

“Did you get anywhere with the book?” he asked.

Cinna let out a frustrated snort. “Nowhere. I can’t crack the code. There are a few codices left to try though.”

Haymitch waved his hand. “Then let’s try those. Effie, Katniss and I are going on a recon mission to the Hellmouth.”

“I should come.” Cinna immediately argued.

“You’re the only one who can touch that book.” he pointed out. “And we’re just going to have a look. See if there’s any activity.” He glanced at the clock again and then at her and his Slayer. “We leave in ten. Get ready quick.” His eyes lingered on Effie and he lifted an eyebrow. “Stealth mission. No pink.”

She made a face at him, annoyed, but it got the designed results and earned him a few chuckles from the children.

“What should I do?” Peeta asked.

There was no point telling him to go back to bed and they both knew that.

“Help Cinna. Look at the shelves for more codices… Hell, _fucking_ _google_ some… Look through the books again in case we missed something…” He shook his head. “I need you on the research front. I need to _fucking_ know what this Reaping is.”

Peeta accepted that with a nod. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Haymitch repeated.

And then they were all moving, rushing to get ready for their respective tasks.

Her pink car wasn’t exactly inconspicuous so they borrowed Peeta’s truck. Effie insisted on driving because she was nervous and her magic was slowly bubbling under her skin and it was better for her mind to be focused on the road rather than worry she wouldn’t be able to control it. Katniss had her bow laid over her lap in the backseat and she was petting it without even realizing it. Haymitch was silent. He stared through the window the whole drive and didn’t say a word.

Effie wasn’t sure what she was expecting to find in the meadow between the Capitol Hotel and the dead tree that marked the Hellmouth but she had expected… _Something_.

It was all calm, though.

Nothing amiss.

Not even a lone vampire roaming.

They parked a little away and crept around until Katniss got fed up with them, told them they were too noisy and everyone could hear them miles away, and ordered them to go back to the car while she sneaked closer. Neither of them liked it but it was the first time their Slayer took charge during a mission so they allowed it.

They sat in tense silence and didn’t even try to make conversation.

It was a long half hour before Katniss opened the backdoor, making them both startle.

“There’s nothing here.” she declared. “There are people in the hotel, as much as I can tell, but the lightning tree looked the same as ever. No hole in the ground with a metal seal like in my dream either.”

“Any trace of Portia?” Effie insisted. “Of magic? Perhaps I should check… You would not know what to look for…” The sky was turning pinkish. “The sun will be up in a few minutes, I will be safe…”

“Safe from vampires. Not safe from a witch.” Haymitch pointed out but immediately let out an annoyed sound. “Effie’s right though, you might have missed magic stuff.”

“I didn’t miss anything.” Katniss grumbled. “But knock yourself out.”

In the end, she did go and check because she _needed_ to see for herself that everything was right.

Haymitch walked with her, his hand on the grip of his knife…

They both stood in front of the dead stump and, even though they looked around, they couldn’t find any trace of any sort of magical ritual. Whatever had happened that night hadn’t happened on the Hellmouth which hopefully meant it wasn’t related to their Career problem – but that seemed like too much of a coincidence to hope for. And there was no telling if the magic hadn’t taken place in the hotel but neither of them suggested they took a closer look.

“We’re missing something.” he muttered as they trekked back toward the car. “We’re missing something and I don’t like it.”

She didn’t like it either.

All the more so when she had the irritating feeling whatever they were missing was right under their nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you spell troubles? And make it double? XD So... Any theories? Will they ever see some action in this episode, you ask? HAHAHAHA. Consider I am sporting an evil grin. (also according to Akachankami who's doing the beta, Peeta with a machete is a new aesthetic we should all embrace) Let me know your thoughts!


	8. Chapter 8

His kitchen was in a complete domestic disarray, like it was most mornings, and Haymitch briefly wondered if that was why the Council disapproved of Watchers becoming too involved with their Slayer or why they were encouraged to leave their family behind when they became the active Watcher. The urgent matter of the possible looming apocalypse had momentarily been replaced by the more pressing problem of getting care of everyday business: like making sure the three kids in his care were fed, calling the school in sick for himself, Effie _and_ the kids – _again_ – and making sure Prim would be on time at her own school because the girl was adamant about going _since she would only end up being sent back to her room when something interesting happened anyway_.

He wasn’t sure what to do with Prim acting up. She had always been _so sweet_ up until then…

“Are we being like those overprotective parents who suffocate their kid?” he asked Effie in a low voice, a little uncertainly, when he stole the mug full of coffee from her hand despite her pout. He needed the coffee. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep lately. Or liquor. The tremors in his hands were troubling and he was starting to feel the first effects of withdrawals. He would be no good to anyone if he collapsed but, at the same time, he needed his wits about him and…

Effie lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow, her lips twitching. “We sent Peeta on a cover mission that could potentially have been dangerous just last night.”

“Was talking about Prim.” he winced, keeping his voice low although he wasn’t sure why he bothered because, behind him, Katniss and her sister were bickering for the first time _ever_.

Effie winced too. “She feels left out.”

“I know.” he sighed, taking a sip of coffee and wincing some more because it burned his tongue. It was also dark and bitter and everything he didn’t like. He wasn’t sure how she could drink it like that.

“Haymitch, when you’ve dropped Prim off, can you pick up Madge?” Peeta asked, almost shouting to cover the noise the two girls were making. “She wants to help. She’ll wait for you next to the square.”

The boy waved his phone so Haymitch could get a glimpse of the text conversation on the screen. He nodded his assent because, at this point, they needed all the help they could get.

“I’ll hit Ripper on the way back.” he told Effie. “See if she’s learned something since my last visit.”

“With Madge?” Effie asked dubiously. “Be careful.”

He rolled his eyes. “Ain’t gonna start a demon brawl with her in the room, sweetheart, give me _some_ credit.” But showing up with a Maysilee look-alike might shake Ripper just enough that he would get answers. “Kid, let’s go.”

“You’ve got your shirt out of your skirt again, little duck!” Katniss complained.

Prim righted her clothes, grabbed her bag with something that wasn’t _quite_ a glare for her sister and snatched the spare helmet on her way to the door.

“Have a nice field trip, dear!” Effie chimed at her retreating back and Prim paused long enough to thank her but it lacked her usual warmth.

Haymitch took a deep breath, praying for patience, and followed the kid. There wasn’t much conversation on the way to school and he felt bad about that. It wasn’t the girl’s fault. She was constantly overlooked and that couldn’t be pleasant but he had troubles balancing everything and…

“Sweetheart…” he hesitated once he had dropped her off and she was handing him the helmet back. “I know it’s not fun right now…”

She looked down at her feet, as if a little ashamed. “It’s fine. I know you’re all busy and it’s important.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty important.” he acknowledged, swinging his leg over the bike so he could stand in front of her. “But you’re important too. _Hell_ , half the reason I bother trying to save the world is because you’re gonna live in it.” He nudged her chin up. “We don’t keep you away from that _shit_ because we don’t want you… We keep you away cause we…”

He couldn’t say _we love you_. The words wouldn’t roll past his lips.

Apparently he didn’t need to because she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry I’ve been behaving like a baby.”

“Not a baby…” he snorted, hugging back. “More like a regular teenager…”

And there would be more of that to come, he was sure. He had taken care of enough young girls to _not_ be looking forward to that.

She looked up, a sad smile on her lips. “It’s just… I know you have to take care of Katniss and I’m just…”

“You’re not _just_ anything.” he cut her off, frowning. “What you are, right now, is _mine_. Family. And you’re nicer than your sister so that’s working in your favor if we’re counting points…” She giggled and he winked at her before gently tugging on one of her braids. “Have fun on your trip. You’ve got a stake?”

Prim snorted. “A stake, holy water and a switchblade in my shoe.”

“Good girl.” he praised, bowing down to plant a kiss on the top of her head. “One of us will pick you up after school, so stay put. I don’t want you walking around on your own right now.”

He swung back on the bike, lifting his hand in farewell to answer her wave and kicked the engine into life. Finding Madge wasn’t complicated even though the girl was doing her best to look like she _wasn’t_ doing anything wrong.

“First time cutting school?” he teased, handing her the helmet Prim had just relinquished.

She winced guiltily but hopped behind him without showing any apparent fear. “You’re a teacher, you know, you’re not supposed to encourage us to do that kind of stuff.”

His laugh was swallowed by the roar of the bike.

If Madge had misgivings about visiting a demon bar, she hid them well. She remained close to him as instructed, didn’t say anything at all, but her eyes traveled everywhere in the dump that was _Ripper’s_ with unabashed curiosity.

The half-demon behind the bar did a double take when she spotted her next to him.

“You’re dealing in necromancy now?” Ripper challenged, a touch of fear in her voice. “That’s what your witch was up to last night?”

Haymitch took his time cataloguing the various demons in the bar before perching himself on one of the stools. The place was almost empty and he doubted the couple of demons in there would be looking for trouble, they were the pacific kind.

“Take another look.” He snorted, patting the stool next to his so Madge would know it was safe to sit.

Ripper did and, while she lifted her eyebrows in surprise, she didn’t say anything more about his dead Slayer. She did however slam an empty glass in front of him and reach for a bottle on a shelf behind the bar. He didn’t stop her when she poured the whiskey despite Madge’s slightly disapproving glance.

“Looks like you need it.” Ripper muttered, resting her elbows on the sticky counter and leaning forward a little. “I don’t have much for you… No specifics. But something’s up. Last night… Your witch, she must have felt it.”

“She did.” he confirmed. “But we went to the Hellmouth and there was not a _fucking_ thing to see.” He took a sip of his whiskey, savoring it, aware that the half-demon hadn’t missed the slight tremor in his fingers. “Come on, you’ve got to have something better for me. I’d hate to have to break something…”

Ripper rolled her eyes, glancing at the blond girl who was sorely out of place in that bar. Madge Undersee was sticking out like a sore thumb and it only added to the weight on Haymitch’s shoulders because… Well, he remembered sitting right there with another blond girl, her spitting image, and it had been… Perhaps not _fun_ but…

_Maysilee, Mabel and your mom…_

The fact that those three had visited Katniss the previous night…

He saw them all the time in his nightmares. They were the ghosts he couldn’t shake. But they were not _real_. And…

“Rumor is something’s in the work.” Ripper told him. “Something big. It’s been deader than dead for a few nights in here. No vampires. A few demons have packed up and left town. You’re asking me… The Careers are gonna act soon. _Today_ or _tomorrow_ kind of _soon_.”

That was what he feared.

He turned the glass this way and that, making the whiskey whirl, _thinking_ …

“What about the witch?” Madge asked, surprising both him and Ripper. When the half-demon’s attention settled on her, the girl sat a little straighter. “Do you know anything about the witch they’re using for their ritual?”

Ripper shook her head. “I don’t know _shit_ about that, kid. There are more than one strange magical being in town.”

“So, you don’t _fucking_ know anything useful.” Haymitch summed up, downing his glass. 

Ripper glared at him. “I know I don’t want Snow to _fucking_ come back so I’m gonna give you a call if I hear more but, whatever’s going on, they’re not babbling about it. The Careers are running a tight ship, Haymitch.”

“Fair enough.” He sighed and stood up, gesturing at Madge to follow him.

“Girl.” Ripper called reluctantly when they reached the door. Madge turned, both a little curious and more than a little afraid. Haymitch could feel it, no doubt so could the rest of the demons in the bar. “She was a _fucking_ good Slayer. Don’t go and get yourself killed, she wouldn’t have liked that. Stay away from these parts.”

Haymitch steered her out with a hand between her shoulder blades before she could answer. Madge was silent all the way to the bike and he cleared his throat, feeling compelled to address the problem that had never been outright spoken of. He had gotten used to having her around, had gotten better at not looking for the similarities but spotting the differences, he had stopped seeing _Maysilee_ when he looked at her… He was as comfortable around her as he was going to get and yet he still hated the idea of talking about…

“She _was_ a _fucking_ good Slayer.” he muttered reluctantly, his voice a little rough.

Madge flashed him a small sad smile. “Then let’s make her proud and stop this before it starts.”

He nodded at her because _that_ … Well, it was a plan he could get behind.

“Hop on.” he ordered, handing her the spare helmet.

“Do you believe her?” she asked, once she was settled behind him but before he could start the bike. “The demon? Do you believe her when she says she doesn’t know anything?”

He didn’t even have to think about it. “Yeah. She’s got nothing to win if Snow comes back and she’s not the kind who thrills on chaos.”

_Unlike_ _some_.

He pondered that as he drove them home, wondering if it was worth trying to locate some more chaos attracted demons and beat answers out of them… It seemed desperate but weren’t they at the point for desperate measures?

Once they reached his house, Madge went straight for the library where she was welcomed with a semi-happy, semi-relieved grunt from Katniss who immediately closed the book she was reading. Peeta flashed her a grin, Cinna barely glanced up from the pile of codices he was consulting…

Effie was conspicuously missing…

“She’s in the kitchen.” Peeta helpfully offered.

Since nobody rushed to tell him they had solved this _shit_ , he nodded his thanks and retreated to the end of the corridor where he found her making tea. She had changed into what he privately dubbed her would-be-Slayer outfit: skin tight black leather pants, a black corset that inevitably made his blood drift south and squared-heeled boots that made the whole thing look even more… _sexy_. He knew that if they went out she would complete it with a leather jacket that had a ridiculous glittery butterfly on its back and he just… He loved that. That she could be ridiculously girly even dressed to kill. It was…

“Expecting a fight?” he mocked.

She didn’t startle but he figured she had heard them come in.

She kept her back to him. She was staring at his overgrown backyard through the window over the sink, absentmindedly stirring a bag of tea inside a teapot he was pretty sure he didn’t own. He should probably have been concerned about her stuff migrating to his house with constant regularity.

“Don’t you?” she retorted, a second too late and without enough amusement to make it a joke.

Haymitch glanced behind him to make sure nobody was about to interrupt and then crossed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his face into her neck.

He missed her.

He wanted her. 

It hadn’t been forty-eight hours since the last time they had been in bed together but he missed her and he wanted her and it scared him to death.

There would be no time for that, though. No time for sex. No time for stolen kisses.

They were in the eye of the storm.

He had been in enough of them to know, to _feel_ it.

It wouldn’t last.

Soon, too soon, they would be in too deep and they wouldn’t be able to afford distractions.

And this thing between them… It was a distraction.

She leaned against him, closing her eyes, her hands grabbing his arms with enough strength to _bruise_ … “I feel fate closing in on us, Haymitch… I am scared somebody will die…”

Chances were somebody _would_ die. There were too many of them. The odds… The odds weren’t good.

“That’s part of the job.” he reminded her.

“Ours, yes. Not the children’s.” she argued but snapped her mouth shut because they had talked about this enough times.

Katniss didn’t have a choice, Peeta had made it clear he wanted to contribute any way he could, Madge wouldn’t see combat and Prim would be kept safe at all cost in the Village. They would do whatever they could to keep the children safe. No… If anyone was really at risk of getting killed, statistically…

“If I die, you’re up.” he reminded her.

“Don’t say things like that!” she hissed. “Didn’t we agree you would…”

“I will fight. _Fuck_ , I will fight…” he promised, pressing a kiss on her neck. “But if I die, you take over. Promise me. You grieve later, you kick Snow’s ass right back into hell first. _Promise me_ , Effie.”

For a moment, he thought she wouldn’t but then she let out a long breath. “I promise. You will do the same. If I die…”

“You won’t die.” he cut her off, tightening his arms around her. “You _won’t_.”

And yet there was this little voice at the back of his mind that told him _she would_ because he had been stupid enough to let her sneak her way under his skin, to let her _close,_ to…

“I told you…” she whispered. “I feel fate closing in. I told you once, didn’t I? Me being here, being with _you_ who could have been my Watcher… I feel it, Haymitch.”

“You’re just shaken up ‘cause of that dream.” he dismissed. “And you’re tired. We all are. _Fuck_ fate. Maybe we’re all gonna make it to fight another day.”

“Perhaps.” she answered but she was clearly humoring him. “Still. Promise me. Duty first.”

“Duty first.” he agreed reluctantly.

She turned her head, a forced smile on her lips, and stole a kiss that he deepened because… It felt desperate. When she turned in his arms, he pinned her against the sink with his hips, wishing there was time to…

She drew her head back, licked her lips… “We should go back to the others. Help however we can.”

“Yeah.” he sighed.

She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. He let her rub his mouth with her thumb to erase the traces of lipstick and took the tray with the teapot and the cups before she could.

The mood in the library hadn’t improved during his short absence.

Cinna was clearly getting more and more frustrated by the minute and Haymitch wasn’t surprised when, after half an hour of the lot of them sipping tea and uselessly skimming through books they had already searched, he slammed a codex shut and stood up to pace the room.

Effie closed her eyes, a wince on her face. “Please.”

Cinna tossed her an annoyed look but made a visible effort to relax. His shoulders lost some of their tension but not all.

It was all an invisible battle to Haymitch although he knew what was going on. He couldn’t feel magic, not like Effie did, but for having been submitted to a spell from the warlock one time or two, he knew it wasn’t pleasant. His magic wasn’t like Effie’s. It didn’t feel warm and it didn’t tingle. It felt hot enough to burn to ash in a second, like lava.

“This is pointless!” Cinna hissed. “None of those codices matches. We’re wasting time.”

What was there to answer to that? Cinna was right.

Haymitch swallowed back a sigh, about to suggest his half-assed plan about finding some demon to beat up in hope they would know something, when Peeta spoke.

“Maybe it’s enchanted.” the boy said and his words seemed to settle weirdly in the silence.

Both Effie and Cinna turned to look at him with a sudden intensity and, under the scrutiny, Peeta blushed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. You know better, I just…”

“No.” Effie cut him off gently, waving her hand to dismiss the apology. “What were you about to say, dear?”

Peeta hesitated, glanced at Katniss who gave him an encouraging shrug, and cleared his throat. “Well… It was in one of the books you had me read about magic… Some family spellbooks… They’re enchanted to make sure nobody but people belonging to the bloodline can read them…”

Haymitch’s eyes traveled from Effie to Cinna because he was out of his depths but, for the two magic users, it was like a cloud had been lifted.

“Of course!” Cinna exclaimed, marching back to the abandoned unreadable spellbook just as Effie stood up to join him. “ _Damn_ Elindra.”

“But why wouldn’t she mention it?” Effie frowned. “She specifically told me _not_ to touch the book. If I am the only one able to read it…”

“Because she did not want you to take part in the fight.” Cinna growled. “She wanted you safe and that was her twisted way of accomplishing that. I _hate_ this woman.” He tossed Effie a slightly regretful look. “My apologies.”

Effie waved her hand again. “She has that effect on a lot of people.” 

“So that’s it?” Peeta asked eagerly. “Effie reads it and we finally know what this Reaping is all about?”

Haymitch certainly hoped so but, of course, Cinna shook his head. “It is not so simple. Elindra’s warning was sound, the book is full of black magic.” He looked at Effie who was standing next to him. “If you touch it, I cannot guarantee it won’t corrupt you.”

The witch appeared to steel herself. “It is a risk we will have to take.”

“No.” Haymitch said, rising to his feet. “We’re gonna find…”

“Duty first.” Effie reminded him flatly, keeping her eyes averted.

The kids were watching them with wide eyes, probably sensing the storm.

“ _That’s_ my duty.” he snapped. “We don’t need someone as powerful as you turning dark. We need…”

“There is another option.” Cinna interrupted, turning to face Effie. She turned too, out of reflex, and the warlock grabbed her hands. “Do you trust me?”

“Do I have a choice?” she joked lightly.

The grin Cinna flashed her was more predatory than amused. “Not really.”

And then, before Haymitch could understand what had happened, Effie gasped and there was blood _everywhere_. Her forearms had split open along the veins and the blood… The blood was sliding all over Cinna’s fingers, all over _his_ arms instead of dropping to the floor…

Katniss reached for a sword and swung it at Cinna before Haymitch had even moved but the blade shattered on what must have been a magic shield.

“What the _fuck_ are you doing?” Haymitch asked, panicked. Because if _Cinna_ was betraying them…

“What I must to find the woman I love.” the warlock answered and then he let go of Effie, his arms soaked with her blood up to his shoulders, his shirt _dripping_ with it, and grabbed the book. A pleased smile blossomed on his lips. “It’s working. I can read it.”

But Haymitch wasn’t paying him any attention because Effie swayed on her feet…

And then she collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *evil cackle* I'm impatient to know what you all think of this...


	9. Chapter 9

Katniss barely had time to break Effie’s fall, glaring at Cinna all the while. Haymitch was there in a flash, taking off his sweater to press against the gaping wounds on her forearms, knowing she had lost too much blood and she would… There was _no_ coming back from something like that, not if…

“Stay with me.” he begged, vaguely aware Peeta had kneeled behind her head and Madge was fumbling with her phone, probably trying to call 911… Katniss had taken off her own shirt and was pressing on her other arm, trying to contain what little blood was left in her. “Stay with me, sweetheart.”

Her eyelids fluttered open and closed.

“Her powers will kick in.” Cinna said casually, as if she wasn’t lying there dying…

A wave of hatred like he had rarely known made it hard for Haymitch to breathe and he vowed that the moment she would fade away, _Cinna_ _would_ _die_. And _painfully_ at that.

“Effie…” Peeta pleaded, his voice breaking into a sob.

The girls were both crying although Katniss was trying her best to swallow back her tears…

Haymitch bent down to press a kiss on her lips. “ _May the odds be ever in your favor.”_ The good luck spell didn’t do any good, probably because he had no real power to speak of and he had never been good at casting in an emergency anyway… “Effie, _please_ …”

Her fingers started glowing gold first. Then the light slowly spread to her palms and her wrists… The moment it hit Haymitch’s hands, he could feel her magic was much more brutal than usual. _Unchecked_. It hurt.

“Move back.” he ordered Katniss quickly and his Slayer let go without a moment of hesitation.

Haymitch straddled Effie’s thighs so he could maintain pressure on both arms, gritting his teeth against the burning pain in his fingers. He had to fight an instinctive urge to snatch his hands back, to protect himself. 

It was slow going.

Too slow.

“Help her!” Katniss ordered, grabbing Cinna’s arm and pulling him down on the floor with the rest of them.

Haymitch got only a glimpse of his blood soaked arms and he had to repress the urge to _roar_ with anger.

Cinna looked dazed, almost high, probably because what the magic he had just used was as dark as it got and black magic had its drawbacks. It was better than a shoot of cocaine, from what he had been told.

“I am not quite gifted with healing spells.” the warlock warned.

“Stay the _fuck_ away from her.” Haymitch countered. The last thing he needed was Cinna butchering what her magic was trying to do. “Read that _fucking_ book and you better _hope_ she pulls through or you’re _dead meat_.”

“Haymitch…” Cinna winced, a touch of genuine regret in his voice. “I…”

“ _Fuck_ off.” he spat. “There’s no forgiving this.”

He kept his eyes on Effie’s pale face because he didn’t know what he would have done if he had looked at Cinna right then. Peeta already looked murderous and Katniss… Well, he would probably have to fight her for the honor of killing the warlock.

Effie’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Effie, you’ve got to hang on.” Peeta said, gently brushing her hair away from her pale face. “You can’t leave me. You _can’t_ …”

The golden halo had spread to both arms up to where the cuts ended now and Haymitch finally breathed a little more easily. He dared decrease the pressure on the wounds, lifted the soiled shirts to check…

The slices were mending.

“Good job, sweetheart.” he praised through the lump in his throat. “That’s it.”

His heart was racing in his chest when her gaze finally became less glassy and more focused. She blinked a few times, staring at Peeta who was bent over her head before finding _his_ eyes…

“Don’t sit on me.” she croaked.

Haymitch laughed.

He laughed with relief and he pretended hard that the tears that burned his eyes were from that relieved mirth.

It was still several minutes before the wounds were closed and she felt well enough to sit. Peeta helped her, sitting behind her, encouraging her to lean on him… Madge rushed to the kitchen to grab something sugary…

She was clearly still dizzy and a little out of it when Haymitch and Katniss, finally convinced she _was_ going to live, stood up to confront Cinna.

“Don’t.” Effie’s whisper stopped them before they could do something hasty – like try to take on a warlock who had been around for centuries and get their asses kicked in the process. “He did what we needed. It’s alright.”

“I _am_ sorry.” Cinna offered, barely glancing up from the spellbook. It was enough for them all to see real anguish and regret on his face. “I lost control.”

“A word of warning would be nice next time.” Effie joked, turning her head to look at Peeta. “Help me up, dear, I feel better.”

“There _won’t_ be a next time.” Haymitch growled, helping her up himself before the boy could. He was careful when he led her to a chair. If he had had his way, he would have carried her upstairs and forced her to remain in bed for a while but he didn’t even suggest it, knowing there was no way she would accept. “Take it easy.” He grabbed the bottle of soda and the glass from Madge and poured her a generous amount. “Drink. Peeta, go get the good cookies in the pantry. And chocolate. She needs chocolate.”

“ _She_ needs for you _not_ to hover like this.” Effie grumbled.

“You bled out on me so, _shut up_ and let me take care of you.” he accused.

“I’ll go get something to clean this up.” Katniss muttered, gesturing at the blood.

Cinna winced and waved a hand.

It was like nothing had happened. The blood disappeared from the floor, their shirts were immaculate… Except for Effie leaning a little too heavily against his side, it was like he had dreamed the last ten minutes.

Katniss wasn’t happy until the witch had drunk two full glasses of soda and Peeta forced her to eat a few cookies. Haymitch personally made sure she had a large portion of chocolate. Madge hovered, asking her if she could do something, _anything_ …

Haymitch could tell they weren’t helping any, that what Effie wanted was calm, but… He couldn’t stop himself and the kids were shaken…

“Honestly, I am fine!” she finally snapped, lifting both hands in the air to make her point. “Slightly dizzy from the blood loss but my magic is working on it as we speak… One healing spell or two and I will be right as rain.”

“Except you used so much magic we shouldn’t risk you spending more today.” Haymitch remarked, low enough that it wouldn’t carry to the children.

Effie pursed her lips and pointedly turned to Cinna. “Tell me this little scene was worth it. What do you have?”

Cinna, it seemed, had been waiting for that very question. “Details on how to perform the Reaping. Your mother was right, the ritual is in here.”

“Yeah, well, since we don’t want to actually _perform_ a Reaping, how about how to _stop_ one?” Haymitch snarled, glaring at the warlock.

“Do not be rude.” Effie chided.

“What, you mean like when Cinna sliced your veins open?” Katniss deadpanned. “That kind of rude?”

The witch was clearly too exhausted to deal with their Slayer’s sass, she returned her attention to Cinna. “What can we use?”

“Well…” the warlock hummed, his blood soaked finger following a line of that gibberish text on the page. “The Reaping _is_ a human sacrifice as we suspected. Children. A lot of them. They have to be bled out directly over the Hellmouth so we know _where_ they will strike…”

_Children_.

Haymitch felt the chill run down his spine.

“Once the Hellmouth is watered enough, the witch can open the door to the demonic dimension of their choice…” Cinna continued.

“Do you have a timeframe?” Katniss glared at him. “Like… Something that’s actually _useful_? And that _justifies_ what you did to Effie?”

“The Reaping has to take place _when the sun and the moon kiss_.” the warlock answered, unperturbed.

They were all silent for a moment.

“Dusk?” Effie suggested.

“Or dawn…” Haymitch corrected.

“Or…” Peeta had gone white and he swallowed hard. “Or an _eclipse_?”

Both he and Effie went rigid.

“An eclipse?” he repeated, dread pooling in his stomach. “Who the _fuck_ said there’s going to be an eclipse?”

“Every media for the last week?” Madge hesitated.

Effie placed a hand on his shoulder and exchanged a quick look with Cinna but Haymitch didn’t care because… This was _it_. It had to be.

_Eclipses_ …

_Shit_ always went down during eclipses…

How had they missed _that?_

“When?” he asked.

“Today.” Madge answered and then checked her watch. “In less than an hour.” 

Haymitch bolted to his feet. “Get weapons. We need to get a move on.”

He was already walking toward the weapon trunk, Katniss was ahead of him, Cinna was helping Effie to her feet – and Haymitch had something to say about that but…

Madge and Peeta shared a frightened look.

“There’s something else.” the boy said and they all stopped because he sounded… “Prim…”

“ _Fuck_ , yeah… Right.” Haymitch rubbed his mouth, blaming himself for not thinking about that. But there was a solution. “Madge, you know how to drive, yeah? Take Effie’s car. Go get her and…”

“No, Haymitch, it’s her field trip.” Peeta cut him off. “It’s about the eclipse, she told me this morning…”

More silence.

A deadly one.

“What?” Katniss said softly, too softly. It came out like a quack.

_“And you didn’t find it important to mention it?”_ Haymitch shouted, losing the meager control he had on his temper. Watching Effie almost die and then learning that the apocalypse was less than an hour away and that children were at risk would do that to him. And now, not only that, but _his_ child was at risk?

“I didn’t know it was important!” Peeta protested, immediately turning to Katniss. “I thought she had cleared it with you and Haymitch! He signed her permission slip!”

Katniss’ growing anger was quickly redirected toward him.

Haymitch looked at Effie, a bit lost… He only _vaguely_ remembered signing it.

_Fuck_ , but he needed a drink. Or three. Or a bottle. Or…

“You did.” the witch confirmed.

“I didn’t read it. She didn’t say it was about an eclipse, I would have connected the _fucking_ dots sooner.” he spat. “But… That’s fine, alright? Madge will go get her wherever they’re having this thing…”

“It’s in the meadow.” Madge said, ruining all his hopes that he hadn’t hopelessly blown it. “Next to the Capitol Hotel. I know because Gale’s brother is going too. He told me last time I saw him.”

“Oh, _fuck_.” Effie said.

And that was how he knew they were in deep _shit_.

If his unshakable polite English witch was swearing…

“I’m going.” Katniss said immediately, swinging her quiver over her head.

“No, no, no…” Haymitch refused, lifting both hands to stall her. “We ain’t rushing into this without a plan.”

“We don’t have time.” Katniss snarled.

“No, we don’t.” he agreed. “That’s why you’re gonna listen for two minutes.” He took a deep breath, locked eyed with Effie… She didn’t look ready to assume command though. She looked ready to collapse. This whole thing was on him. He had dropped the ball. He should have… He should have stayed on top of things and not get distracted by pretty witches with blue eyes and terrific legs. He should have… “Peeta, Madge, load the car. We need stakes, holy water, swords… Anything we can use. Cinna, when we get there, I need you to take point on the magic front. Stop your girlfriend from opening the Hellmouth. Effie, once we’re there, you get the children away, there must be a bus or something… Katniss… You and I, we’re taking the Careers out.”

“No.” Effie protested. “I will help with the Careers. I can fight. I am fine.”

“No, you ain’t.” he scoffed. “And we don’t have time to fight about this so…” He turned toward the kids who were already grabbing as many weapons as they could carry. “Madge, when you’re done loading the car, I want you to lock yourself in here, alright?”

“I’m coming.” the girl said, surprising everyone. “I can’t fight but I can help get the children away.” She stopped on the threshold and glanced at Katniss. “You should call Gale. Rory is there too.”

“We could use another archer.” Peeta reluctantly agreed.

It wasn’t ideal but… The truth was, at this point, they could use all the help they could get.

“Fine.” Haymitch said. “We leave in two minutes. If you’ve got to pee, now’s the time to do it. No bathroom break during the apocalypse.”

His joke fell on deaf ears and it wasn’t really funny in the first place.

The last thing he did before leaving the house was grab his mother’s sword…

If Snow ever managed to rise…

Well, he would try to take his head off with it.

It would be a fitting end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *snickers* Well... thoughts?


	10. Chapter 10

Prim felt slightly guilty about her white lie but the moment they got out of the bus and started spreading around the meadow in small groups to find a good spot, she began to relax a little.

The reason she hadn’t told Haymitch or Katniss where the field trip was taking place was because she knew they would have forbidden her to go. But what was the alternative? Staying home in her room and waiting for the end of the world to come? It had been coming for _weeks_ and didn’t seem in any hurry to actually happen so… She might as well enjoy the world while it was still there.

“Relax, Prim.” Rory teased, tugging on her wrist so she would sit down next to him. “It’s just an eclipse. It’s gonna be _boring.”_

She snorted and obliged him by sitting next to him, propping her notebook open on her thigh, ready to take notes. Rory didn’t bother with a notebook or notes. He was a nice boy – and a good friend – but he fancied himself a bit of a rebel – or at least he pretended to be.

“Do you have the glasses?” she asked him because the teachers kept repeating they needed to make sure they had them at the ready. Looking straight at the eclipse without them could be dangerous for their eyes. Hers were already propped on her head, ready to be slid in place when needed. She was determined to get a good grade on this assignment.

Not that anyone at home would care but…

“Right here.” he said, slipping them out of his pocket and fiddling with them. “So… You want to grab a burger at _Sae’s_ after?”

“I can’t…” she said reluctantly. “Haymitch wants me home right after school.”

She averted her eyes and pretended to follow the teacher’s lecture – the woman was shouting in vain because everyone was chatting and talking between themselves instead of listening. She forced herself not to glance at the dead tree that had once been struck by lightning, knowing what lay beneath. It sent a thrill down her spine to be so close to danger – _without_ actually being in danger –and she wondered if that was what Katniss felt when she strode around at night dispatching vampires.

Her sister was much braver than she was. Prim would have never found the strength to do that. She would have been too scared.

But she was a bit proud of herself right then for conquering her fears. There she was, sitting right next to the Hellmouth nobody else around her had any clue about, and she wasn’t scared. Why would she be? It was daylight, she was lost in the middle of three classes of children of various ages and she was perfectly safe.

“You know…” Rory hesitated. “Gale doesn’t like your guardian much. Mom says he seems alright but…”

“Haymitch is _the_ _best_.” she cut him off with a frown. She shot him something that wasn’t _quite_ a glare but it was close. “He’s protective, that’s all.”

And he had reasons to be.

And it made another pang of guilt throb right through her because she knew that, directly or not, she had defied his instructions: _don’t be stupid and make sure you’re safe at all times_.

Coming on the Hellmouth without him, Effie or her sister was stupid.

But she _was_ safe, wasn’t she? 

She was in a crowd, she would have a good time, and she had hidden weapons in her bag and in her shoe if she needed them…

_What_ could go wrong?

°O°O°O°O°

Peeta was driving so fast he could barely control the car’s trajectory.

They were too far away.

They were too far away and the sky was slowly turning a sick reddish color and he could still glimpse the bike in the far distance, hopelessly distancing him but not enough to make a real difference…

Next to him, Effie was clutching the handle over the passenger door, her jaw clenched as if she was trying to control a burst of nausea. She looked pale. Too pale.

Peeta refused to think about all the blood. He refused to think about what could have happened because then he would get angry at the warlock again and the warlock was currently sitting behind him on the backseat, exuding so much raw magic that even _he_ was feeling it.

As for Madge, she looked scared but determined, her glossy blond hair pulled up in a hasty ponytail. She was gripping a stake that looked utterly out of place in her hands…

They were ready for battle and they were all aware they might be driving to their death.

His phone started ringing and he swore, fishing it out of his pocket and almost sending them all off the road because he was going too fast for that sort of antics. He swerved right back in the middle of the road, ignoring Effie’s disapproving cluck of her tongue.

The witch snatched the phone from his hand and answered, putting the caller on speaker so Peeta could hear.

“Gale.” he greeted because it had been the default ringtone when all his friends had an actual personalized song programmed. Who else but Gale could call him at this time?

_“Yeah.”_ the boy confirmed. _“I’ve tried calling Katniss, she ain’t answering.”_

“She is on the bike with Haymitch.” Effie answered. “Are you…”

_“I’m behind you. I think.”_ Gale cut her off.

Peeta glanced in the rear-view mirror – something he hadn’t done in far too long because he was a little scared a police car would be chasing after him given how fast he was going – and saw what could have been headlights far behind him. The headlights blinked twice.

“I see you.” Peeta confirmed. “Where did you find the car?”

When Katniss had called him, he had been at school and she had told him they couldn’t waste time picking him up. Madge had offered to borrow Effie’s car and do it but Effie’s car, as it turned out, had refused to start. They couldn’t tell what was wrong with it, nothing mechanical that Haymitch could see at first glance but he hadn’t been willing to waste more time checking it out.

_‘Cursed_ ’ Cinna had said. _‘Someone really don’t want you to risk your life fighting that Reaping.’_

Effie hadn’t even gotten angry, which had told everyone just how badly she must have been feeling.

“ _Stole it.”_ Gale explained. “ _It’s Heavensbee’s_. _Fastest I could find.”_

And, true to his word, the car behind them easily ate the distance. Soon they could see it was a slick black sport car that Peeta couldn’t picture their principal driving.

“Don’t follow us too close.” Effie cautioned. “If either you or Peeta loses control…”

“ _Then go faster.”_ Gale ordered. _“I want to make sure my brother is safe.”_

“I’m going as fast as I can.” Peeta grumbled. Any faster and he was sure he would kill them all before they even reached Capitol Hotel. Those narrow roads in the woods weren’t made for speed driving.

“We need to tell him about the plan.” Madge reminded him.

“Right.” Peeta said and he let Effie do just that but, privately, all he was thinking was that Gale had never been able to respect a plan before and that he didn’t see that changing that day of all days. “Do you have your bow?”

_“Please_.” the other boy scoffed as if it was the stupidest question ever.

Peeta took a deep breath, held it for a moment and then let it out slowly.

Effie shot him a commiserating look. 

At least, he wasn’t the only one who doubted Gale.

°O°O°O°O°

The sky was slowly turning a sick reddish color that had Prim shifting uncomfortably in her spot. She had never been afraid of the dark, not really – at least not before she had been kidnapped by vampires – but she was hyper aware of the fact that, soon, it would be pitch black and…

“My brother keeps calling.” Rory grumbled with annoyance, hiding his phone in his bag to better reject the call without alerting the adults who were patrolling around them, still lecturing about eclipses and the sun and… “It’s like he forgot I’m in class or something…”

She jotted a few notes down, the dread in her stomach increasing another notch.

She managed to ignore it two more minutes before giving in to that strange feeling. She reached inside her own bag, discreetly checking her own phone. She had to wait for it to power up because she always turned it off when she was in class – like everyone was _supposed_ to do – and since it was a very old model it always took a while for it to light up and… She had two missed calls from Effie, three from Katniss, one from Peeta and six from Madge…

The dread and the guilt blended into something that she could only call survival instinct.

“We need to get out of here.” she whispered, dropping her notebook.

Rory looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “You want to _skip_? _Now_?”

She was already standing up, her breathing coming much too quick because she was starting to panic. How was she supposed to convince _everyone_ to go back to the busses and _leave?_ The teacher was looking at her, _everyone_ was looking at her, curious and maybe a little relieved by the interruption.

“Primrose? Is everything alright?” the teacher asked with a touch of concern.

Because Prim was a good kid, she was at the top of her class and she never caused problems. She would _never_ stand up in the middle of a class or a field trip unless she wasn’t feeling well or…

Prim opened and closed her mouth, aware that nothing she could say would prompt anyone to move. What _could_ she say?

_Katniss_ would know.

She caught sight of a movement from the corner of her eyes and she turned to the hotel that stood in the distance just in time to see someone confidently stroll out.

The figure was cloaked and the hood hid her face but she could tell it was a woman by the way she moved. 

_A witch,_ she was ready to bet.

“Primrose?” the teacher asked again, now more irritated than concerned.

She was out of time.

°O°O°O°O°

The bike raced through the windy dirt roads so fast Katniss wasn’t sure how Haymitch was controlling it. It was all she could do to cling to his back, regularly bumping her chin against the pommel of the sword that hung between his shoulder blades. The speed was such that she was certain that if she loosened her grip even slightly, her body would slide backward and she would fall.

She hadn’t properly checked her quiver and the strap was digging painfully in her neck.

She could barely glimpse anything but even behind the thick protective visor of the helmet she could see the sky was turning darker. A reddish sort of darkness.

Haymitch suddenly leaned forward and Katniss followed the movement because it was that or getting whisked off. They were almost bent in two over the bike and she didn’t understand what he was doing until the bike lurched even faster.

She hadn’t thought it was possible.

It seemed impossibly dangerous because there was no way he was fully controlling their mad dash.

But she knew why he was taking the risk…

They were out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue to Highway To Hell playing in the background* (sorry i just had a flashback of finnick dying to that song in the zombie au XD oooopsie) 
> 
> Soooooo... Prim is in trouuuuuuble. Will they get there in time? Will it end badly? Is Portia alright? WHO KNOWS.   
> Well, me... Me I know HAHAHHA
> 
> Tell me your thoughts! (and if you have prognocstics about who lives and dies!)


	11. Chapter 11

The woman strolled out of the hotel and crossed the edge of the meadow toward the dead stump.

Prim’s heart was hammering so hard against her rib cage she was sure she was going to pass out. She followed the woman’s progress toward the Hellmouth until her eyes were attracted to more movement around the hotel.

They came out right when the sky finally turned dark and everyone around her started laughing or screaming with excitement despite the teachers’ attempts to hush them, as if they were intimately attuned to the movement of the sun. There were _dozens_ of them. Fifty or more.

She knew they were vampires.

She knew that _at once_.

And not just because the three that walked ahead of the pack were in what Katniss called _game face_. They had yellow eyes and the female vampire who walked between the two males was dressed like some sort of Egyptian warrior queen and she looked ready to…

A hand fell on her shoulder and she startled badly but it was just the teacher who was frowning at her… “Primrose…”

“We need to leave.” she blurted out.

The woman followed her gaze and her fingers gripped her shoulder tighter as if in reflex. “What…”

There was a rumble to their right and suddenly the ground started quivering… Everyone screamed for real, then, shouting about earthquakes and…

“Stay on the ground!” the teacher ordered, forgetting the mass of strange people striding toward them in the new emergency. “Don’t try to stand up!”

Prim didn’t like to disobey a teacher’s orders but she grabbed Rory’s arm, forced _him_ up and started to drag him _away_.

“What’s going on?” he asked her, sounding slightly panicked. The good thing about Rory though was that he would always follow her lead without question and she loved him for that.

“We need to get out of here!” She had to shout to be heard over the screams and the earth’s rumbling.

They didn’t make it three steps before falling down. The ground was shaking so much…

And then, suddenly, all was still.

Except, Prim saw, for the brand new deep hole right in front of the dead tree.

She was too far to see what the woman was doing but, if she had to bet, she would gamble it was nothing good.

The vampires had spread out, flanking the children to better circle them…

They had not attacked yet but…

“Shouldn’t it be light again by now?” Rory asked, looking up at the sky.

It _should have_.

It _really_ should have.

But either it was the Hellmouth making the eclipse last longer or it was magic or…

“Remember!” the female vampire’s voice boomed out, easily carrying over the panicked screams. “Do _not_ feed! We will kill any of you we catch drinking! They have to be bled over the Hellmouth!”

“We have to be _what_ now?” Rory asked, helping her back to her feet.

“We… We need to run.” she answered. She looked around for her bag and the weapons hidden inside but she couldn’t find it and, _really_ , what chance did she have against a vampire anyway. She grabbed the little golden cross Katniss had slipped around her neck when this whole crazy thing with vampires had started and she held it in front of her, knowing it would be a poor sort of protection.

“Run.” Rory repeated as the vampires started approaching from all sides.

The others were picking up on it now. One of the teachers walked toward the female vampire, demanding they told her who they were, demanding that they take off their masks and explain themselves… The vampire snapped the man’s neck as if it was nothing and the teacher crumpled on the ground.

For a moment, the silence was complete as everyone watched, shocked.

“We only want innocent blood.” One of the vampire leaders reminded the others. He was wearing a set of ancient roman looking armor. “Kill the adults.”

And then it was _chaos_.

°O°O°O°O°

The sky had turned dark and Peeta had lost sight of the bike for a few minutes already.

“Faster, Peeta.” Cinna ordered calmly from the backseat.

Peeta gritted his teeth because Gale was already following him so close it wasn’t safe and had made the same request a few times over the phone.

“I _can’t_.” he growled, too stressed to worry about being polite. “My foot is _literally_ flat on the floor. The car _can’t_ go faster.”

You should _never_ dare a warlock.

That was a lesson he would remember.

Because suddenly the truck was picking up so much speed he lost sight of Gale’s stolen car in the rearview mirror…

“ _Cinna_ …” he hissed. It was all he could do to keep a deadly hold on the wheel. Effie reached out to help him steer the car, to keep their course steady, but was more hindrance than anything else.

“Cinna.” she snapped. “This _isn’t_ safe.”

“It won’t be any safer when the Hellmouth opens and we are too far away to do anything about it.” the warlock retorted.

“It won’t help anyone if we die getting there either!” Madge argued, clutching the edge of her seat.

That was a perfectly wise remark and Peeta would have _gladly_ agreed with her if the Earth hadn’t decided this was a perfect moment for a earthquake.

Peeta lost control of the car immediately.

It became a projectile he couldn’t hope to direct.

“Hold on!” Effie shouted.

He wasn’t sure what she did because he instinctively lifted his arms in front of his face to protect his head against the inevitable deadly crash. He caught a glimpse of golden hues and then the car impossibly slowed down in a chorus of steel screeches as if the truck was physically protesting whatever magic she was working.

It went against all the laws of physics and yet despite the velocity and the shifting ground, when Peeta opened his eyes, the car was stopped in the middle of the road.

He took a few seconds to realize he was still breathing, still _alive,_ and then he unbuckled his seatbelt to check on everyone else even though it probably wasn’t the safest thing to do – the earth _was_ still rumbling and quivering. Madge was pale and hyperventilating but otherwise unhurt. Cinna… Cinna was not there anymore. Where he had been sitting, there was only empty air and Peeta worried he had somehow been ejected even though there was no broken windows when Madge licked her lips, unbuckling her own seatbelt.

“He _puffed_ away.” she said. “There was a cloud of red and then he was gone…” She kneeled on the seat to peer through the rear windshield at the dark woods behind them. “Gale… Do you see the car?”

Waiting out an earthquake in a car in the middle of the woods _wasn’t_ fun and Peeta gripped the edge of his seat, praying that the truck would hold and that no tree would fall on them.

“He teleported in his car to help, I felt it.” Effie said, her voice weak. “He must have steered the car ahead instead of stopping it.”

“ _How_?” Peeta scoffed, turning toward the witch. “There’s no driving in… _Shit_ , are you okay?”

Effie was quick to wipe her nosebleed with the back of her hand but there was no hiding how pale she looked or the tremors in her fingers. “Perfectly fine. Start the car again. I will shield it as best as I can.”

He shook his head. “No way. You’re…”

“Start the car again, Peeta, this is _not_ the time for a mutiny.” she snapped. “If the earthquake means what I think it means, they will need us.”

He was torn between what he knew deep in his guts – that Effie _wasn’t_ fine and that the last time she had pushed her magic that much she had ended in a coma – and the impossible urge to get to Katniss and make sure she was safe.

There wasn’t really a choice in the end.

When it came to Katniss…

“Haymitch is _so_ going to kill me.” he muttered under his breath, clipped his seatbelt back on and turned the key.

°O°O°O°O°

Katniss was off the bike before Haymitch had even properly stopped it. She hopped off – and immediately fell flat on the ground because the Earth chose that precise moment to rumble and tremble.

“ _Shit_!” Haymitch cursed a few feet away, struggling to put the bike flat down on its side so it wouldn’t fall and either damaged itself or him.

Katniss didn’t care about the bike.

She only cared about her sister.

She could see the school’s busses and she could see the meadow was overrun with people and kids but she couldn’t…

“Remember!” a woman’s voice echoed over the distance. “Do _not_ feed! We will kill any of you we catch drinking! They have to be bled over the Hellmouth!”

_Enobaria_ , she thought even if she had never met the vampire before.

There were maybe fifty vampires that she could see in that meadow and they had at least three classes of kids of various ages surrounded.

She shouldered off her bow, already reaching for an arrow… Her heart was beating so hard in her chest she could barely _breathe_. Prim was in the middle of this. Prim was…

“Take care of the witch.” Haymitch ordered, his big hand falling on her shoulder even as he unsheathed his sword with the other. “I’ll get your sis.”

But he wouldn’t be able to. Not with so many vampires.

He was only human.

She couldn’t see what was happening in the center of the crowd, she could only see the vampires circling closer and closer, but suddenly there was the telltale noise of a neck being snapped and children screaming…

And over the chaos…

“We only want innocent blood.” She remembered that voice. It was Gloss’. “Kill the adults.”

Her blood running cold, Katniss shrugged off Haymitch’s hand and ran straight into the fray, shooting arrows as fast as she could. Vampires blew up in smoke one after the other but not enough to hope to make a difference. Not when some of them were already dragging struggling kids toward the big hole in the ground that hadn’t been there the previous night.

“Prim!” she shouted, looking around, panicked. “Prim!”

“For fuck’s sake, Katniss!” Haymitch screamed behind her.

She didn’t know if he followed her or chose to do the right thing and take care of the witch.

She didn’t care about doing the right thing.

She didn’t care about stopping the end of the world.

She only cared about saving her sister.

°O°O°O°O°

Haymitch charged after her, of course.

What else could he do?

However, he knew a lost battle when he saw it and this was what he had in front of him.

They were hopelessly outnumbered. It was exactly what he hadn’t wanted, exactly why he had held off on storming the Capitol… They wouldn’t make it.

So the right thing to do, what _his_ _duty_ dictated, should be to take out the witch so this Reaping couldn’t go through. Because, sure, the Hellmouth was out in the open and, sure, the eclipse was holding and, sure, there was a chance it was too late to stop the ritual but there was also a chance killing the witch _now_ – or, at least, incapacitating her – would make it impossible for the ritual to succeed. So, yeah, that was what he should have done: go for the witch.

But the crux of the matter, the reason why he was such a bad selfish man, the reason why he had tried to leave his Watcher duties behind so many times, was that he had never been able to abandon his Slayer.

Never mind the fact that it wasn’t just Katniss in there but _Prim_ too. 

So, despite the fact that it was stupid and suicidal, he charged into the fray with a war cry, beheaded a vampire on his right, cut one down on his left… Katniss was leaving a trail of dust and panicked kids running straight in the waiting arms of more vampires behind her, so he picked up the slack.

And for a human, for a seasoned demon slayer, he had a good run.

Four minutes in, he left his flank vulnerable.

The vampire was on him before he could so much as _try_ to wield the sword or drop it for a stake...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are we in troubles? oh yes we are XD  
> (just a little clarification because there were a few remarks about Prim and Rory seeing all the calls and such and not answering their phones, I don't know how it works in USA clearly but in France you just don't answer your phone in the middle of class? I mean, sure people do, but it's major trouble and Prim and Rory are mostly nice kids following the rules? Prim immediately got something was amiss but why would Rory immediately think trouble?) 
> 
> Ok so... Cinna is now riding with Gale. Are is that going to go? Will Effie manage to reach that fight with some magic to spare? What's up with Portia? Is Haymitch going to make it? Will Katniss find Prim? :p LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!
> 
> Are your ready for the last two chapters to come? You better buckle up, the fight is now.
> 
> (also akachankami drew me a AWESOME fanart for this story for my birthday. You can find it https://akachankami.tumblr.com/tagged/katniss-the-vampire-slayer if you want to check it out! Give her some love!)


	12. Chapter 12

The fireball hit the vampire so hard it was enough to fling the creature away from him.

Haymitch rolled on himself, picked up his sword and got back to his feet, glancing behind him to see Cinna had already moved on to other targets. The warlock was jogging toward the Hellmouth and the cloaked figure standing at the edge of the hole.

There was a hood on the witch’s head and Haymitch couldn’t see her face, could only see her hands outstretched to the sky as if in prayer…

He hoped Cinna could reason with her because Portia seemed willing enough to finish that dark ritual to him.

°O°O°O°O°

Peeta tossed the car behind Gale’s stolen one and shot out before anyone could tell him to wait. He was surprised to find Gale right there, shooting arrow after arrow… He had half-expected the boy to have dismissed their instructions and charged ahead regardless of the plan.

“Get on the roof.” Effie ordered, tossing her door open. “You will have more range.”

Gale didn’t need to be told twice, he climbed on the hood and then on the roof of Peeta’s truck.

“I can’t see _shit_!” Gale complained. “I lost sight of Katniss in there and my brother…”

It was total chaos.

Peeta glimpsed Haymitch locked in a sword fight against… It wasn’t Gloss and it wasn’t Enobaria but the vampire looked too charismatic to be a minion so he was ready to bet it was Brutus. It was just a glimpse. They were swallowed back by the crowd of children who were trying to run away and the vampires who chased after them to drag them to the Hellmouth… There was blood everywhere on the grass, dead small corpses littered the meadow…

It turned his stomach.

Effie stood on shaky feet, licking her lips. “We need to get the children to safety.”

“The school bus.” Madge said immediately.

“Yes.” the witch approved, turning to Peeta. “Lead the children to the bus. Gale, you will have to cover him. I will…”

Whatever she was going to say, it was swallowed by the inhuman scream that came from the direction of the Hellmouth.

They all turned to see Cinna had fallen to his knees in front of the hooded witch.

Effie’s face hardened. “Take care of the children. I need to have a woman-to-woman conversation with that witch.”

°O°O°O°O°

Katniss whirled around and shot another arrow but it was becoming difficult.

Children and vampires were running in every direction, she couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t hit an innocent anymore and…

She caught a glimpse of Prim, her untucked shirt floating behind her like a tail…

“Prim!” she screamed.

Her sister turned in her direction, blond braids whipping in the air, their eyes met…

And a vampire grabbed her around the waist.

Katniss screamed a useless warning and notched an arrow only to immediately lower her bow. She had no visibility, no target… She shouldered back her weapon and started running, already slipping the stake out of her belt…

The vampire was dragging her sister away, toward the Hellmouth…

She didn’t even cross half the distance between them.

It was like hitting a wall.

She fell flat on her back and when she looked up, Gloss was towering over her, a sneer on his face, his stupid ancient armor in the way of a stab through the heart.

“I was hoping you’d be a challenge.” the Career spat.

Katniss growled.

°O°O°O°O°

Effie’s head was beyond spinning.

The blood loss, the extensive use of magic, the earthquake, the fact that she had been hurled against a tombstone three days earlier… None of that helped but she soldiered on.

She hated leaving the children behind, hated the fact that Peeta would be alone with Gale and Madge for all backup when one was unreliable and the other not much of a fighter… But need must and duty came first.

If they didn’t stop that witch, the Reaping would go through and that would be much worse than anything that could happen to any of them.

So she soldiered on.

_She soldiered on_ , eyes locked on the Hellmouth, and she focused on putting one foot in front of the other, not certain how she was supposed to battle a powerful dark witch once she would get there.

A vampire snarled at her and jumped.

She lifted her hand and he was propelled back. He hit two others on his way down, a child around Prim’s age managed to flee… She hoped Madge or Peeta would get to him in time.

Cinna was still on his knees, his head bowed in defeat…

The witch was still incanting.

She could make it.

She could _do_ it.

°O°O°O°O°

Prim struggled, kicked her legs, kicked the vampire who was restraining her with her elbows, but it did _nothing_ except piss him off. She was dragged toward the hole in the ground, close to where the grass was wet with blood, close to where all the corpses had been dumped…

_Corpses of people she knew_.

“Katniss!” she howled.

But her sister had disappeared, swallowed by the surrounding chaos.

_I’m going to die._

The thought came, fleeting and terrifying in its certainty.

She was going to die.

Right then.

Right there.

Just because she had been stupid enough to get peeved by being sent to her room one time too many in the last few days.

Just because she hadn’t listened to people who actually _knew best_.

Tears of fear and regret were streaming down her face but she kept struggling, she kept fighting because there was _no way_ she was going down without a fight…

Katniss and Haymitch, Effie and Peeta…

They would have fought to the end so that was what she would do too.

°O°O°O°O°

Haymitch was in so much _fucking_ troubles.

He met Brutus’ powerful strike with a parry and then turned on himself to give his sword more momentum but the vampire was quick and far much too good a warrior to fall for that trick.

And he whirled that spear of his like he had been born with it in his hand…

The backslap across the face was almost enough to knock him off.

It was certainly enough to send him flying a few feet away, the hilt of his sword slipping from his fingers…

°O°O°O°O°

Effie’s sight was tunneling when she finally was close enough to the Hellmouth to see what was going on.

Cinna wasn’t just kneeling, he was crying, hunched over a dead body.

The woman had been beautiful but death had robbed her of much of that. And her death wasn’t recent. A few hours at best. The body didn’t look fresh.

“Cinna?” she called. Her tongue was heavy in her mouth, she felt dizzy. She flexed her fingers and her magic surged to answer the call but she wasn’t sure…

There was an incredibly familiar sigh from the robbed figure standing two feet away and Effie dragged her eyes from the corpse and to the also incredibly familiar face that hid in the shadow of the purple hooded cloak.

“I _told_ you to stay away, Euphemia, didn’t I?” her mother snapped, her tone both disappointed and irritated.

The shock was such that she swayed on her feet, reaching for Cinna’s shoulder to stabilize herself. The warlock didn’t even react. He was openly sobbing now, clutching the dead woman to his chest…

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head as much to clear it as to deny the reality of what was happening. “It can’t be. You were…”

“Oh, _please_.” Elindra scoffed. “You called me with news of a Reaping, did you _truly_ expect me not to take an interest? I popped in yesterday to see if they could use the service of a proper dark witch. Business is business, darling. And, truly, they should have come to me first instead of going after an Italian nobody. America is _my_ territory.”

The battle was still raging around and she was acutely aware that there was no time to waste, that she could perhaps _still_ salvage this but…

“Portia…” she argued, looking down at the dead witch.

Elindra waved her hand dismissively. “They had an unwilling witch, I was in need of more power.”

It didn’t make sense. No sense at all.

“She siphoned her dry.” Cinna declared, his voice hard as ice. He lovingly put Portia down on the ground and then finally looked up at her mother. His eyes were entirely black and he was exuding so much power it only made Effie feel sicker. “What we felt last night… The dark magic… It was _her_ murdering my Portia. _She siphoned her magic_.”

Elindra didn’t even try to deny it.

“Now, now, Cinna, dear…” Her mother clucked her tongue. “If she had cooperated, they might not have traded her for my services. But she was always stupidly loyal to you, that woman… Ridiculous for someone that powerful.”

In a flash, Cinna was on his feet. He raised one hand to the sky, something that looked terrifyingly like a thunderbolt ran down his fingers and then he outstretched his arm toward Elindra and they were all bathed in a purple light as lightning struck, passing through his body like a conductor…

Effie felt the singe of it but her magic protected her from the blunt of the blast. She closed her eyes, unable to sustain the flash of light…

She immediately blinked, expecting to see her mother’s charred corpse because, surely, _nothing_ could survive _that_ , but Elindra stood there as if nothing had happened. Something _had_ happened though.

Her hood had fallen back, her red hair was electrified and she looked every way the crazy dark witch.

“Mother…” Effie begged. “We can still…”

“No.” Cinna growled. “We _cannot_.”

And then he attacked again.

°O°O°O°O°

There was a flash of lightning and behind Prim the vampire grunted, as blinded as she was.

Then, suddenly, he tripped and went down.

She lost no time wiggling out of his grip, instinctively screaming when someone else grabbed her arm…

“It’s me! It’s me!” Rory said, his eyes wide, the telescope he had used to hit the vampire still in his right hand.

She tossed her arms around his neck and briefly squeezed tight.

Then the vampire got back to his feet, there were two more behind them and she didn’t see how they were going to get out of there…

°O°O°O°O°

Katniss did her best to stay out of reach of Gloss’ sword even though it involved a lot of twisting, jumping and dancing around the blade.

“I think I’ll save you for the master.” the vampire snarled. “I think he’d like a little pick-me-up after being trapped in hell for so long and I hear Slayer blood is the best.”

He overreached with his next strike and she glided along the blade, used that to her advantage to grab his wrist with one hand and elbow him in the throat with her other arm…

It was enough to make him loosen his grip on the sword.

It was enough of a leeway that she managed to get away and lose herself in the chaos.

She should have killed him but she didn’t want to waste precious minutes.

Not when it could mean the difference between Prim being alive and Prim being dead.

°O°O°O°O°

Elindra was sneering. “Do you think your lightning tricks will work on me, warlock? I am _full_ of your little girlfriend’s power. You cannot stop me. _Nothing_ can stop me now.”

All that was missing, Effie mused, was the evil laughter and the mustache twirling.

“I will _kill_ you.” Cinna promised, following that with a spell that looked nasty.

Her mother deflected it, easy as you pleased. “I do not think so.”

If Effie’s magic was gold, her mother’s magic was pitch black. It rose in a foggy cloud around her and, then, so quickly she could do nothing to help, it enveloped Cinna and dragged him away.

“Don’t kill him!” Effie screamed.

Elindra pursed her lips in distaste. “I could not even if I tried. I am more powerful right now but he is still a warlock. It would take some preparations to get rid of him. Still, this will keep him busy.” Her blue eyes darted back to her. “Now, Effie darling, this battle is lost. I know you care about your little friends so you better call them back and run while you can.”

Effie shook her head, camping her feet apart in a fighting stance, glad to have had the presence of mind to change into something more battle-friendly. “I can still stop you.”

Elindra sighed and looked at her with nothing but pity on her face. “No, you _cannot_. Do not make me fight you, Euphemia, you know I _loathe_ corporal punishment.”

It would have been easy to fall into despair because if she was certain of _one_ _thing_ it was that she was, in fact, _no match_ for her mother but she heard the sounds of fighting behind her and if the rest of her team was still trying…

She took a deep breath, gathered her magic…

“Euphemia.” Elindra warned.

She didn’t give her time to say anything else, she summoned a whirlpool of fire and aimed it straight at her.

Water engulfed the flames, leaving nothing but smoke between them.

Effie used that to her advantage.

Her nose was bleeding again and she was shaking too much. She knew another spell might be her downfall so she rushed through the smoke, slipping free the emergency knife she kept hidden at the small of her back.

Would she have stabbed her mother?

Would she have found the strength?

She would never have to know because a gull of dark magic swept her off her feet and hurled her back just as the smoke cleared. She rolled away, automatically wrapping her arms around her head to protect herself…

Her body landed just at the edge of the hole that hid the Hellmouth.

So, _naturally_ , that was when it finally opened feets below her…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooopsie another cliffhanger... Did you see that witch twist coming? Are we keeping Rory? There's a lot of galeness in him but he also looks a touch more useful ;) Well, I say are we keeping him but... Are we even keeping Prim? Is anyone safe anymore? Haymitch is in major trouble... Katniss is going in blind... Effie is... not in the greatest spot... 
> 
> Any prediction? Last part of Season 1 next week!


	13. Chapter 13

“Rory!” Gale suddenly shouted, startling both Peeta and Madge.

The two of them exchanged a look and, without any word being uttered, Peeta left her to usher the children who had escaped toward the bus while he ran back to his truck. Gale hadn’t jumped off the roof yet but Peeta could see it was imminent. First because his quiver was slowly but surely emptying and then because he had glimpsed his brother and…

“Where?” Peeta asked, grabbing two plastic water guns from the backseat. He slugged one over his shoulder and switched the other one to his non-dominant hand. He pulled out a stake with his free one. “I’ll get him.”

Gale shot him a dubious look but then made a face, probably realizing that if he stopped shooting, the people in the thick of the fight would not have any cover anymore.

“With Prim.” the other boy said, pointing in the direction of the Hellmouth. “Near the hole. Right in front of the tree.”

“Got it.” he said with a nod. “Cover me.”

“Be careful!” Madge shouted, ushering a shaking girl toward the bus.

Peeta flashed her a smile. “When Gale’s out of arrows, get to the bus, drive out of here.”

He didn’t wait to hear Gale protest his instructions, he ran into the fight, never hesitating to shoot his water gun full of holy water in the face of any vampire that tried to grab him.

°O°O°O°O°

“No, no, no, no…” Effie muttered.

Her hands hastily looked for purchase but her body kept sliding down the slow slope that led to the glowing Hellmouth.

“Euphemia!” her mother shouted, sounding slightly alarmed.

A hand grabbed her wrist and _pulled_ …

She hadn’t been sure Elindra would care enough to try and save her. She supposed it was gratifying to know she loved her at least that much.

She kicked her legs, tried to _push_ …

The Hellmouth was sucking her down.

It was like a whirlwind.

“Break the spell!” Effie screamed to be heard over the chaos. “Break the spell now!”

Elindra shook her head and pulled harder. “It is too late!”

A shadow appeared right behind her mother, a stunning vampire with long silky dark hair dressed in leather and Egyptian cotton who Effie knew at once was Enobaria.

 _Too late_ was one way to put it, she mused.

°O°O°O°O°

Haymitch’s muscles were so exhausted he was shaking.

He had gotten the sword back but lifting it demanded more and more effort.

He found himself on the ground again, his mouth full of grass…

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.” Brutus snorted. “The Master likes his playthings… Maybe he can toss you in his new arena, see how long you last… Your mother was a big hit back in the days, I heard.”

Haymitch gritted his teeth and reached for the sword that had slipped from his fingers again…

Brutus might not want to kill him but he had no problem with _hurting_ him. The spear went through his shoulder.

Haymitch screamed in agony.

It was a flesh wound, nothing but a flesh wound, carefully designed to hurt more than anything. And it was his non dominant shoulder so he still closed his hand around the hilt of the sword…

A foot weighted down on his back, the spear was drawn back…

He didn’t have enough air in his lungs to scream this time, his ears were ringing, he felt like puking…

It had been a long time since he had become a torture plaything for a vampire’s sick enjoyment. He was getting too old for this _shit_.

Still, he rolled on himself, ignoring the pain, tried to get back to his feet and barely managed to lift himself to his knees… He put a foot on the ground, leaned on his sword to haul himself up…

Brutus stood looming over him, a nasty smile on his vampire face…

There was a hissing sound.

Suddenly, an arrow was protuberating from the vampire’s throat.

The Career groaned in pain, pulled out the arrow as if it was nothing but a splinter…

Haymitch didn’t stop to think. With a last desperate effort, he swung the sword while the creature was distracted…

He didn’t manage to get his head off in one clean swipe but he didn’t let that stop him, he swung the blade again…

The look on Brutus’ face looked appropriately stunned when his head rolled off… Then it turned to dust and Haymitch collapsed back on the ground, clutching his injured shoulder…

He saw Katniss lowering her bow but the girl didn’t stop to check on him.

He followed her with his eyes, the fighting had cleared enough that he spotted Prim and a young boy trying to hold off two vampires…

He allowed himself a second of lying flat on his back, a few deep breaths through the pain, a fleeting moment to think maybe the master vampire was his best kill yet and he would need to tell Chaff about it if he survived this…

Then he was up again, determined if not ready to face the music.

°O°O°O°O°

The two vampires looked resolute to get them and Prim stepped back toward the hole. They were fencing them in toward the Hellmouth despite Rory’s brave attempts at swinging the telescope leg in front of him like a bat to keep them at bay. They didn’t look worried. Why would they be, though?

She glanced around with desperation, hoping to get a glimpse of an ally or even to get an idea…

They were close enough to the Hellmouth to have a front row seat to the Reaping, and it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t just the pile of dead kids that made her want to _retch_ , it was the fact that the witch – she now could see – was Effie’s mother and there was a vampire arguing with her. Effie… A quick look around finally located her _in_ the hole that was glowing brighter and brighter, trying to hold on to the edge but slowly sliding down the slope with every attempt to push herself up to safety… There was a dead woman not too far from them who Prim didn’t know.

And…

She spotted Cinna’s body a few feet away. The warlock looked unconscious, his face bloodied…

They were losing.

They were losing and…

“Stay back!” Rory shouted. He sounded so obviously terrified that the two vampires chuckled at him.

At least until an arrow drove itself into the ground right in front of the one on the left.

Prim looked around again, hoping…

But she couldn’t see Katniss in the dark. She saw Haymitch lifting his sword, facing a huge vampire… And, in the distance… A figure on the roof of Peeta’s truck shooting a bow… Not Katniss though. _Gale_. It _had_ to be Gale.

But Gale was too far.

Another arrow landed in the dirt at the vampire’s feet.

It made them chuckle like it was all a good joke.

At least until a stream of holy water hit the one on the left in the face.

°O°O°O°O°

“Let her die.” Enobaria demanded dismissively.

Elindra huffed. “I would rather _not_ , if it is all the same to you.”

Effie’s arms were killing her but she managed to get her upper body up the edge… Her mother pulled…

She would have made it.

If Enobaria hadn’t attacked Elindra, she _would_ have made it.

As it were, she slumped back down, sucked in by the Hellmouth’s power and _barely_ managed to avoid sliding all the way down the slope.

The smell of magic was acrid in the air, clogging her lungs, but she honestly couldn’t tell if it came from her mother’s defensive spells or from the Hellmouth itself.

“Well, if you insist on being aggravating.” Elindra snapped from somewhere above her. It was answered by a growl.

She focused on trying to climb back out of the hole.

It was all she could do when a force far stronger than gravity was pulling her down…

But then, as if by magic…

The darkness became lighter and, when she looked up, she saw that the sun was shifting…

Elindra must have lifted the spell that prolonged the eclipse.

 _At last,_ a sliver of hope…

°O°O°O°O°

The vampire started smoking and screamed in pain from the holy water…

Peeta didn’t hesitate, he slammed the stake into his chest, praying that he wouldn’t miss the heart – because he missed the heart one time out of three on patrol.

The vampire burst into dust.

He turned toward the other one, the one who was already readying his arm for a punch, but before he could do anything – and he _was_ going to order Prim and Rory to _run_ – an arrow hissed by his head, narrowly missing the flesh of his earlobe, and found the vampire’s heart. He whirled around, a rant already on his lips because he had _told_ Gale to…

But it wasn’t Gale.

And Katniss rushed past him to hug her sister with obvious relief.

“Are you okay?” she asked Prim who could only nod and hug her sister back.

Gale’s brother looked dazed and on the verge of tears – which was _very_ understandable in Peeta’s opinion – so he patted his shoulder.

“You did very well.” he told the kid. “That was very brave.”

And, right then, the sky started lightning, like an omen that the battle was _finally_ turning in their favor…

The vampires didn’t notice immediately but, when they did, they all turned to run at the same time, tossing their coats and jackets over their heads to protect themselves.

“Katniss!” came the shrill scream in the distance.

 _Madge’s_ scream.

When they turned, it was to see Gale trying to pry Gloss off Madge’s throat. With a sweep of the vampire’s arm the boy was hurled in the air, he slammed into the side of the truck and collapsed on the ground.

He didn’t get back up.

Madge grew limp…

“Stay with them.” Katniss ordered Peeta before running to their friends’ rescue.

It was almost completely light again now and Peeta let himself relax because there was no more immediate danger. Haymitch was limping toward them, clutching his left shoulder, but… No more…

“Effie’s in trouble.” Prim said, tugging on his shirt.

His gaze darted to the Hellmouth and…

_What was Effie’s mother doing here?_

And more importantly where _was_ Effie…

He had thought the eclipse finally being over meant that she had succeeded and… He eventually spotted her, struggling to climb out of the hole, to escape the glare of the Hellmouth…

Enobaria was clearly trying to stop Elindra from helping Effie.

He glanced around but Katniss was now too far, Haymitch was injured and was taking too long to get to them. The Watcher had seen it though, Peeta could tell, because the man’s face grew hard and…

“I’ll try to wake up Cinna.” Prim declared, pointing at the prone form of the warlock a few feet away. “Go help her.”

Peeta didn’t let himself hesitate, didn’t let himself think that Katniss would kill him for leaving her sister without protection, because… Well, Prim was Katniss’ sister and he loved the girl, he loved _Katniss_ , but _Effie_ … Effie was his mentor, the closest thing he had to a true mother and he wasn’t ready to lose that yet.

So he ran, dumping his water guns on the way because they were slowing him down and he had _no hope_ of taking on a Career by himself. All he could hope for was distracting the vampire enough to keep her in place until the sun entirely appeared and took care of her or until Elindra finished her.

When he was close enough, he jumped on the vampire’s back…

°O°O°O°O°

Effie didn’t have a good view from the hole but she saw Peeta jump from the corner of her eyes and she screamed a warning for him to… _To stop_.

The idea that the boy could get killed…

°O°O°O°O°

Haymitch saw it all happen as if in slow motion.

Peeta’s running…

Elindra – friend or foe, he couldn’t tell – trying to battle Enobaria…

Effie’s head poking out of the hole only to disappear back down again and again…

He tried to get there.

He tried to run but…

His body was tired, too old, too bruised.

The better he could do was a hopping jog that didn’t get him there in time…

He saw Peeta jump on Enobaria…

He shouted a warning…

He saw Enobaria shrug him off as if he weighed nothing…

He saw the boy disappear in the hole…

Elindra Trinket let out a magic wave of… _something_. But it was already too late.

The Hellmouth’s glow increased until the light… There was _a flash_ … And just as Haymitch reached them, he found himself nose to nose with a very familiar face.

Snow was thinner than he remembered, frailer, _diminished_ … How long had it been for him in whatever hellish dimension he had found himself banished to?

He should have slammed a stake in his heart right there.

But Effie screamed and Haymitch dropped on his stomach to better reach in the hole with his good arm…

Effie had slid down almost too low for him to reach and she was holding on with only one arm. Peeta dangled from her other hand.

The boy was too heavy.

Her face was a mask of pain and the two of them were sliding down…

°O°O°O°O°

Effie knew Snow was free.

She felt it.

The moment the Hellmouth spat him out, she _felt_ it.

And she felt that It wanted to swallow something in return and that the blood of all the dead children wasn’t quite enough to satisfy it.

Her arm was growing slack.

She wasn’t even sure how she had managed to grab Peeta as he fell but now her body felt torn in two.

The pull from the Hellmouth was irresistible and Peeta was moving too much, kicking his legs to try to find a purchase where there was none…

Sweat stung her eyes, making her blink… The most horrible feeling was twisting her stomach…

And, suddenly, Haymitch’s face appeared and he reached down.

She couldn’t reach back.

It was all she could do to keep herself and the boy from falling down.

And still they were sliding.

An inch at a time they were sliding toward hell.

“Magic! Use your magic!” he screamed at her.

_Magic…_

She had none left to use.

She was empty.

Her nose had stopped bleeding, the blood had crusted on her upper lip, but every time she tried to summon her power… She had reached her limits.

“Effie!” Peeta screamed. “Effie, let me go! I’m dragging you down! Let me go!”

She would _not_.

 _Never_.

But it wasn’t her choice to make.

His fingers were slipping from her sweaty hand…

She tried to use her magic again and screamed at the pain it wrecked through her…

“Effie!” Her mother called, kneeling next to the hole. She lifted both hands…

Effie felt the familiar tendrils of her magic wrapping around her…

But the Hellmouth…

The Hellmouth swallowed _everything_ … Magic included. 

°O°O°O°O°

“Can you get me down and back up?” Haymitch asked the witch kneeling next to him.

He would figure out if she was with them or against them later – _against them_ seemed a given since there was a dead woman he didn’t know a few feet away and Cinna had screamed himself raw earlier but he was willing to trust her with his life if it meant saving his family.

Elindra shook her head, her features schooling into stern resolve.

Haymitch wasn’t ready to give up.

He lowered himself over the edge even more, stretching his arm as much as it could go…

“Grab my hand!” he ordered.

But before Effie could at least _try_ , she lost her grip on Peeta.

He watched, horrified, as the boy was swallowed by the glowing mouth of hell. Peeta didn’t even have time to scream.

Effie looked up at him, teary blue eyes that saw straight into his very soul… _Sad_ eyes. _Determined_ eyes.

“Don’t you _dare_!” he snarled, her words about fate and bad feelings echoing in his ears. “Don’t you _fucking_ …”

 _I’m sorry_.

He read the words on her lips more than he heard them because his ears were ringing.

 _I’m sorry_.

She let go.

She let go and let herself be swallowed.

And all he could do was _watch_.

The blinding light disappeared and all he could see was the carved runes on a metal seal.

No Peeta.

No Effie.

The Hellmouth had closed.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this Season 1 concludes... XD I know, a lot of you hate me. HAHAHAHA I hope you enjoyed this finale anyway! 
> 
> As for what's next: I'm currently writing the next episode (it's going well and fast so far, so fingers crossed) so I don't have a definite date for S2. I'm thinking a nice month long hiatus at least though. Hopefully I can get a few episodes done in advance this summer. I will, of course, keep everyone updated on tumblr but you might want to suscribe to the series if you want to be notified when next part is up ;) 
> 
> Don't miss out my new hayffie story on Friday "When it rains it pours" to fulfill your hayffie needs ;) 
> 
> And now... COME AND SCREAM AT ME! Tell me everything you liked! Everything you disliked! I was so nervous about this episode as a whole! So many stuff to work in! There are lots of little details for stuff I have planned later too, lots of foreshadowing in previous chapters if you want to try and guess at what will happen next... Give me ALL the predictions!

**Author's Note:**

> This episode will mark the end of the season! I hope you enjoy it! Buckle up... It's going to be a wild ride :p  
> (number of chapters might change because I haven't cut everything out yet)
> 
> Let me know your thoughts!


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